Mobile Suit Gundam AGE Savior's Destination
by Amion the O
Summary: The Year is AG 115. Fourteen years of murderous assaults by the mysterious force known as the UE, has left the Earth in crises waiting for the next attack. On the colony of Nora, a young man named Flit Asuno takes control of a powerful new weapon in the hopes of striking back.
1. Chapter 1 The Savior, Gundam

_**Gundam AGE**_

_**Savior's Destination**_

_**Prologue**_

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Colony Orvan, AGE108**

Flit Asuno screamed as another building disappeared in a blast of yellow light. Nearly blinded by it, Flit almost ran into a pile of burning, stinking wreckage that might have been a car, he didn't know. Running past, trying to breathe in the growing smoke, he heard a tremendous series of crashes. One of the monsters was following him, its shadow filled the intersection around him.

Running all the faster, zigzagging through the burning remains of people and cars, Flit stopped at another intersection as a second shadow fell over the road. He dared to look up at the monsters, huge, dark blue with wings like dragons. One raised a claw and fired a series of bright flashes that blew a way another building. Too scared to hide, he rushed down an alleyway. Home was just around the corner. Mother was still there. He had to find her and get to the escape shuttle like she taught him.

Eyes still locked in terror on the hideous mechanical nightmare; Flit collided with something and fell to the cracked concrete sidewalk. He looked up to see a frightened woman lying in front of him. He leapt up grabbed her hand, pulling her shakily to her feet as the ground shook with each step of the monsters. Then without a word he dashed off again.

The woman called after him and grabbed the coat Mother made him wear for his first day at school. He wriggled out of it and sped all the faster.

"Child wait!" Screamed the woman, her voice sounded hoarse from the smoke billowing from the buildings. "You,gah," she made a weird sound and spat out grimy stuff. "Please you have to go to the lifepod. They'll fire a missile soon!"

"Mother is still at home!" yelled Flit, strangling as an ember flew in and burned the back of his mouth. It hurt and smelled like smoke. Everything smelled like smoke.

Something hit the world with a boom that echoed through the colony. The world jerked and suddenly Flit found himself flying.

Although he didn't know it, it had been the colony's rotation that stopped, while the centrifugal force simulating gravity for him sent him flying on at the same speed. A fate shared by the debris from the collapsed buildings.

Flit woke up in, of all places, a swimming pool by purest chance. It was grey and pasty from fallen debris and dust, so he swam out as fast as he could.

The world was different than a few moment's ago. All but a few twisted buildings were leveled and the city was on fire. A cloud of dust rolled behind him, the rubble that had been thrown off by the horrible jerk and was still flying.

Little Flit couldn't know that it a missile had slammed into the side of the colony, grinding it to a temporary halt while everything inside continued moving, ripping people and buildings from the colony's side and sending them flying. Flit in his terror also failed to notice that the colony was rotating the wrong way now. With its rotation altered, a giant hole in its infrastructure, the colony of Orvan would soon rip itself to shreds by its own centrifugal force. The end had begun.

It was supposed to be his first day at school. A fun day. But the _school_, and Orvan Plaza, and the _towers_ he loved so much, and _everything _was now crushed and burning. The monsters were everywhere, flying down to land again and shoot more blasts of light that brought more smoke and fire.

Flit rounded a corner, finding Home on fire and in rubble. "Mother! Moth-Ther!" He screamed as loud and clear as he could. Something called out, but the roar of the fire was too much. Something began pounding behind him, and he knew a monster was nearby, shooting. "Mother where are you?"

Dodging piles of burning stuff, one smelled terrible, he wondered what it was.

"Mother?" He rushed around fires, catching sight of Mother at last, lying in the collapsed archway of their house. Home was bigger than any other house in Orvan, and it hadn't completely crumbled yet. But it was burning, and Mother couldn't get free.

"Mother! I'm coming."

"Flit," Marina Asuno raised her head and smiled, her turquoise eyes flashing.

"You're burned," Flit screamed, too scared to cry as he dashed up to stare at a nasty burn on her right cheek.

"Flit, I have something important to give you," Marina handed something clutched in her hand. It was a vaguely hexagonal thing, like a data pad.

"I'll get you free. Hold on." Flit rushed to the giant pillar, frantically tugging. "Urgha. It…won't…budge!"

"Flit!" Mother commanded.

Flit rushed over and knelt down, taking the thing in her hand.

"Flit, ahhe. There's something in there you need to build when you're older. I'm entrusting your fate to the Gundam."

Flit felt a chill cover him as a huge shadow loomed over the burning house. But he refused to turn around. Maybe the machine monster wouldn't notice.

"The-the Gundam? The painting in the hall! You said it was a legend." The crash of the monster's footsteps sent him scrambling to pull Mother from the pillar even faster. Something creaked up above, and flames rained down.

"Mother," he screamed as she pushed him away. He looked up in horror as the fire fell in between them. "Run, Flit." She smiled again, and disappeared in flames.

Another crash sent Flit to his knees. He finally looked, shaking with fear and rage. A monster was there, so big and tall, firing the light from its palm. It's horned head turned to look at him, and its blank, smooth face lit up with a jagged line, filling the world with a loud beep sent. Flit got up and ran from Home, the bad-smelling fire, the monster.

And Mother.

But the monster started chasing him. With each stomp forward Flit nearly lost his footing. He gripped the device in his hand with all his might. It was all he had left of her.

And he _would not _be crushed to death like his classmates in the school, or the people in the restaurant in the Plaza, when the monsters suddenly stomped through the buildings out of nowhere.

A powerful tremor hurled him into a raging fire as the monster sent its foot down onto the earth again. He rolled out of it and tried to keep running. _It _wanted to stop him.

But his foot was burnt, and his other leg was red with blood. Why didn't his leg hurt? He never once noticed the injury. He couldn't keep ahead of _it_.

A hand grabbed him and yanked him onto a speeding vehicle. It was one of those sleds that hovered over the ground and went really fast. The hand was attached to an aging man with a kind face. "Come on youngster, hold on tight."

Everything behind went yellow as _It _fired its bullets of light. All the running people beside the speeder disappeared. The monster had killed them. He knew. It wanted him too.

Flit hung onto the man's coat for dear life as they went fast and faster. So fast he was half flung off the speeder. He was flying in the wind; the ground was beneath him, a blur. Only their interlocked hands kept him from flying off the speeder.

The world erupted with so much noise that Flit lost his hearing and almost passed out. Silently screaming in pain, he turned around to look.

His mouth dropped open. He forgot to hold onto the man and let go, but the man tightened his grip. Flit didn't care.

Beyond the dragon monster, an entire piece of the colony was ripping free of the walls and rose slowly upwards to crash into the other side of the colony. The ripping sound of metal continued to deafen him as flames from the burning city on the rising piece flew out into the black openings beyond like orange and red cloths. The other pieces of Orvan also followed, ripping tearing, floating gently away like they weight as much as paper.

Flit screamed as he felt an invisible hand seize him and yank him and toward the blackness. The wind rushed passed him and he nearly let his treasure fly from his grasp.

The monster landed in front of him. He felt the speeder stop. Why was it stopped? _It _was here, bending over and letting its face light up again. It opened its palm. He could see the hole there where it fired the flashing light.

Tears from his eyes flew toward the thing, his ears popped, and he let the vacuum carry his furious scream to the monster as the wind beckoned him closer.

The next thing he knew, he was staring at a pair of grey metal doors with yellow and black warning bars painted below. A pair of windows revealed the monster beyond.

"It's going to _kill_ us!" Flit screamed in a choking sob, burying his face into the man.

"It's going to be okay," a firm, gentle voice said. "Look."

Flit turned around, expecting the hated dragon thing to fire its gun. Instead, the colony was far away, a burning light in the middle of dark, empty space.

"We'll be safe here," the man said, putting his arms around Flit. "Bruzar's my name. Yours?"

"Flit. Asuno," he choked back. His leg hurt _now. _He could barely move because of the throbbing pain.

"What's that in your hand there?" Bruzar asked.

Flit remembered the butler showing him the big painting of the white warrior, holding a burning saber, the hero who had always stopped the evil men over and over long ago during the wars.

"Flit?"

He looked down at the device clenched in his hand, "Something to save us."

The era is the AG timeline, which was established after the Silver Chalice Treaty, signed by Earth's peoples, which banned all forms of advanced technology, in an effort to preserve peace. However, one hundred and one years later, a colony known as Angel fell under attack by mysterious enemies of unknown origin: the UE, Unknown Enemy. It was totally destroyed.

Lacking the technology needed to fend off these seemingly invincible invaders, the Earth federation remains powerless to stop the UE, as they continue to destroy one colony after the other. Among those destroyed included Orvan, young Flit's home, and many others.

The current year is now AG 115. The death toll continues to rise; panic grips the Earth Sphere as its populace shakes in fear waiting for the next unstoppable attack.

Seven years have passed since Flit lost his home, and fourteen years after Angel fell…

* * *

_**Chapter One The Savior, Gundam**_

* * *

Flit Asuno awoke to his alarm's irritating beeping. Wearily he rose from bed and silenced the thing. Morning on colony Nora was starting out beautifully, but the chirping birds and refreshing light of the artificial sun didn't faze the teenager as he dressed.

The morning news came on his computer's screen as it did every morning, the brunet news anchor bubbly and excited as ever, despite the foul report.

Flit bit into a pastry as he watched the screen switch from the studio to the picture of a transport vessel.

"-all hands died during the attack," the anchor said, "authorities verify the UE were responsible for the strike on the Uzalt trade route. Despite the unpredictability of UE strikes, Earth Federation officials at FTC _highly_ suggest all spacecraft, particularly civilian transports, cancel all voyages to the Minsry and Uzalt region until next week."

"Federation military forces state they _do have _warships patrolling the area to search for signs of UE activity.. Reports indicate high unrest at the military's lack of ability to stop the UE. Techno Solon, the owners of the transport, expressed their grief for the loss in a press conference this morning, and charges the military to _step-up_ their patrols on all routes."

"In other news Techno Solon stock has doubled last week ever since-

-Flit Asuno, you're going to be late for school!" screamed a female voice outside Flit's small apartment. Flit threw on his favorite yellow jacket and rushed to the door, which opened to reveal his glaring blond friend, Emily Amonde.

A vindictive finger stabbed at his chest. "Don't tell me you're wearing that jacket again. Don't you have anything better to wear?"

"No, yellow jackets are all I have," Flit said, swallowing the last of his pastry.

"You're eyes are red," Emily said, her voice softening, "Were you up late working on your inventions again?"

"Flit was making Haro a pink mini-haro," a green ball said in a cute, computerized voice. Haro rolled over beside Emily, eyes flashing. "Pedo-alert is rising."

"Shut up!" Emily and Flit kicked the green orb across the hallway.

"AHHHhhh, Haro. Haro. Harrro." Haro screamed, as it flew down the hall.

"Today's test day for the Gundam," Flit said, continuing the conversation. "I have to work out the last bugs for the OS."

"Well, what about your schoolwork? It's PSAT day at school. You need to study, or at least help me study. I'm not a genius like you, Flit."

"Well you can just copy my answers like you always do," Flit said, grinning as he rushed past.

"Arrg, I DON'T cheat," she screamed back, running after him.

"Yes you do, Emily, yes you do," Haro taunted bouncing just out of Emily and Flit's kicking range. "Haro."

Flit outran Emily easily, like he did every week as she chased him from his apartment. They were in the Military base, Aliston, where Flit's apartment was, and ran by the gigantic HQ tower built into one of the spokes connecting the colony walls to the long tubular core at its center.

An attractive man wearing a pair of running pants and a sleeveless top waved as they ran passed. "Hey Flit, Emily. You'll be late again if you don't hurry."

"Thank you, Largan," Flit called back.

"I-I think he's a nice guy," Emily said, panting up beside him with effort, "But why does he wear those stupid combat glasses all the time. It's weird! How does he see?"

Flit turned to reply, but stopped when he saw a military car by the HQ's front steps. He waved to the two people stepping off.

"Mr. Bruzar, Lieutenant Alloy," called Flit, skidding to a stop. Emily halted behind him just in time to prevent a collision.

"I just completed the finishing touches on the Gundam's OS," Flit said, fists clinched enthusiastically.

"Good. Good," Bruzar said, clapping his hands with a proud smile.

The old man stood tall even after sixty-eight years of military service. His wizened face, with its white beard and grey-white hair reminded Flit of pictures of his grandfather in the mansion at Orvan. Flit always thought he was like a father figure, and Flit owed him his life, and the project to create the Gundam, all to him.

"Commander," Lieutenant Milias Alloy said, "Flit has to get to school, the principle has already complained we detain him. Besides, we have a schedule to keep." She turned to Emily with a smile. "Take care of him now. Go on you two."

"Right," Flit and Emily said, running on ahead with a wave goodbye.

Bruzar and Milias turned to go, but stopped as a green sphere bounced up in front of them. "Pant. Haro is dizzy from rolling."

"Hello, Haro," Milias said with a sigh. "I thought we told Flit to destroy this thing."

"Ms. Alloy," Haro said cutely yet angrily, flapping its pair of ears furiously. "Are magnets attracted to you?"

"No. Why pray tell?"

"Because they're the only things that would be attracted to you," Haro snapped, rolling away expertly from Milias' kick. "Haro will follow Flit now," Haro said, rolling by.

"Goodbye Haro," Bruzar said. "Take good care of Flit."

"Haro. Haro. I will obey, my master," Haro said, hopping down the steps.

Meanwhile, Flit and Emily rounded a building, nearly getting flattened as a yellow robot on treads rushed by. The pilot's eyes went wide and put on the brakes just in time to save their lives.

A huge white hand attached to the machine's right side came down with a crash that shook the pavement. Flit and Emily opened their eyes and sighed with relief.

"This is why the bus isn't allowed on the base," Flit said. "Too many over-aged pilots in worker suits speeding around corners."

"Who's over-aged?" snapped the pilot, poking a plump face framed with a grey beard out the window of the worker suit. The man fiddled with his red, large square glasses. "Why, if it isn't Emily and Flit. What have I told you two about running, it's dangerous."

"We'll be late if we don't Grandpa," Emily complained.

"Vargas," screamed Flit in sudden rage, noticing the white arm on the machine. "What are you doing with the Gundam's arm?"

"I'm testing it," grinned the old man with a smile. The arm rose and went into a bicep pose. "It works like a charm. The mobility was far superior to my first predictions."

Everyone stopped to watch as a green blur sped past with a scream of joy.

Flit shrugged at Haro and turned to regard Vargas. "Don't even _touch _the Gundam unless you ask me first," Flit said, pumping his fist in the air. "I mean it Vargas. It's irresponsible."

"Enough," Emily said. "Grandpa, can you give us a lift? We need to catch up to Haro before he cannonballs through someone."

"Sure thing," Vargas said. The white arm suddenly detached from the machine, slamming to the ground and nearly throwing Emily and Flit off their feet. The rear door of the worker suit opened up with a hiss. "Come on aboard."

"Vargas!" shouted Flit.

"What? The arm's armor can easily withstand a few feet of impact. They tested it just today in the labs. Strongest alloy we've produced yet. That AGE device your mom gave you was full of great Mobile Suit Smith secrets."

Flit and Emily clambered into the back seat of the cockpit. "You know, talking about advanced technology with a civilian like Emily breaks security regulation Number 12," Flit said to Vargas, ignoring the girl's angry stare.

"She's my granddaughter," Vargas snapped. "You know they gave her mild security clearance. Besides, the Gundam is Asuno family property, not the military's. So secrecy is secondary."

"It's _my _property," Flit grumbled with a scowl, looking away. "There is no Asuno family."

The rest of the drive went by in silence.

**Nora Public Education Academy**

"Today, we will be discussing the wonderful world of Algorithms," the professor said with joy no one in the class felt. "But first," the professor frowned at Flit Asuno as he worked feverishly at his desk, sketching out something incredibly complex on a piece of notebook paper.

Emily reached over and tapped Flit on the shoulder, but saw he was totally immersed in the sketch of what she assumed was the Gundam and its mechanical viscera.

"Flit, please leave your…research…for later," The professor said. "You are disturbing the class. And I find it hard to believe you have already surpassed collage level mathematics. This class will benefit you in at least some small way I think. If you keep skipping class and refuse to pay attention when you come, then your grades will fall."

Flit glanced up. "Not only have I a mastery of simple formulae like the algorithms you created, but I put astrophysics and engineering calculations to use daily. Along with MS engineering, which is beyond any of the aforementioned in terms of complex mathematical equations. Would you like to see the Gundam schematic I'm working on?"

"And on that note," the professor drawled, "let us move on."

As the teenagers began going over their work, the teacher sat down and motioned Haro over.

"Do you have, um, that picture I wanted, Haro?"

"Haro, yes. Emily lets me follow her everywhere. E-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e," the robot stuttered adorably.

"Haro, I need you," Emily snapped. The robot hopped off the desk and rolled over to Emily.

"Begin," said the spectacled teacher.

Everyone looked down at the test in front of them and dutifully began writing. Haro sat on the teacher's desk, safely away from Emily, who usually used Haro's inboard computer for research and as a calculator.

_Why do they even allow that cross-wired thing in the school, _Emily asked herself. _Haro is useful, but ever since Flit tried to upgrade his personality he's been nothing but trouble._

"Professor," Haro said, eyes flashing slowly. "I have downloaded the latest episode of _that _show you wanted. I had to bypass the channel feed blocker Bruzar installed to prevent Channel 69 from coming in, but the show was taped and is ready for viewing."

"Good," the professor said. She swiveled in her chair to face Haro as the green ball's mouth opened up to reveal a small computer screen and keyboard.

_I _should've _figured it would be something like that, _Emily swore, putting her hand to her forehead.

**Colony Nora, Aliston Base Control Center.**

"I recognize his genius," Milias insisted, straightening the collar to her uniform. "But shouldn't he commit his full time to working on the AGE-1?"

"Now, now, Milias" Bruzar said, moving over to his second-in-command, Grodek Ainoa, who stood by the main console, the blue screen reflecting up against his dark combat glasses. "Grodek, what do we have to entertain us today? Any new asteroids to blast away from the colony?"

"No Sir. But do not assume you will _not_ be busy. I am beginning a diagnostics check on all computer systems, have scheduled an evacuation drill for the base, and all procedure documents for the docking of the new warship need your approval."

Bruzar frowned and started scanning the terminal, pressing a few icons to bring up the digital documents, "Nice to know you keep me working," he said, using his finger to write out his name in flowing letters. "Signed. There. Now Captain Fonroid can dock. That new warship, _Diva _was it?"

"Yes sir," Milias said. "I hear Fonroid is a tactical genius."

"Is that right?" Muttered Bruzar absently, tapping away at the terminal.

Grodek frowned over at Milais. "But not a particularly scrupulous man when it comes to civilian safety. He is a man who thinks in broad terms," Grodek elaborated, seeing Milais' furrowed brow.

"I wouldn't put stock in rumors, Commander," Milais chided cautiously. "Fonroid is a representative of the Command Headquarters and part of the special forces. We must show respect."

"She's got a point, Grodek," Adams Tinel said from his console. "Fonroid is a respected member, and the only man who has successfully driven off the UE during an attack."

"The transport ship was ruined," Grodek replied without apparent emotion. "His victory was piecemeal considering his mission was to defend the passengers. But I'll handle him with respect, I know my place, _Ensign_ Adams."

Adams nodded. "I apologize."

"No need," Grodek said. "Your caution was duly needed. I don't want to get Bruzar in trouble."

"Oh, I could spit Command HQ in the face and they couldn't hurt me. My roots here are too deep, and I have Flit's new toy to work with."

"_Diva_ is docking," the communications officer reported.

"Captain Fonroid is requesting permission to speak with you, Commander Bruzar."

"Good," Bruzar said, stroking his beard, "But him onscreen."

A monitor rose from the space in front of the central terminal and snapped on an image of the _Diva's _bridge, with a dark skinned man wearing the yellow uniform of the special forces, sitting impressively in the captain's chair.

"Base Commander Bruzar," Fonroid said in a deep voice. "Pleased to finally see your wise old face."

"Same to you," Bruzar said cheerily. "Although you have more wrinkles than wisdom."

"Hm. The AGE project is coming along smoothly I assume, Base Commander? If so, please send over the AGE device immediately. Command HQ wants it tested in their own labs before mass production and we are on a tight schedule."

"Yes." Bruzar looked over at Grodek, pushing silver-grey locks of hair away from his eye. "Grodek?"

"I already issued the AGE to you, Captain," Grodek said, looking up from the monitor. It should be waiting for you there."

"Fonroid glanced down at something on his chair's console. "The egg-shaped capsule?"

"Yes, that's it. We apologize, but the designer insisted the machine look exactly like the plans found in the data holder."

"I'll be looking forward to seeing this prodigy of the Asuno line later," Fonroid said, dipping his hat in a slight salute. "I will arrive at the base shortly. I hope the Gundam is ready for testing."

"It is ready to perform the movement tests as soon as you arrive," Bruzar attested.

"It had better be. A lot is riding on this, my reputation include. Command doesn't normally fund fourteen yearolds to construct advanced weapons costing millions of credits. _Diva_ out."

The screen went dark, and retracted into the panel, which slid shut noiselessly.

"And now we show him the Gundam and somehow explain that this marvel of technology doesn't violate global laws banning weapons research. And if we do, why he can't take it away, because Flit Asuno legally owns it." Bruzar said, rubbing his temples.

"Here's some aspirin, I thought you might need it," Grodek said, handing it to Bruzar.

"It's half empty," Bruzar replied, confused.

"I took some already," Grodek confessed. "This is going to be a long day."

* * *

**Nora Public Education Academy**

Flit sighed and put down his pencil, he felt something strange. The feeling started as he watched the morning newscast. The UE always seemed to make sure that there were no survivors to their attacks. This was the norm; at least it had been for some time. Because of that, news anchors could move on from serious topics like UE terror strikes to the rising and falling of the stock market.

_Stock market. Some time. _

Flit suddenly started writing furiously. To hell with the crazy tests asking him ambiguous moral questions, something in his mind began to gather all the bits of newscasts he watched over the years. All the reports and knowledge his religious study of the UE could provide. As he did, a cold sweat began to form.

Flit was not exaggerating when he said that higher math was a trivial matter for him. He had grown up beating the equations to construct the Gundam into his head, while patient engineers like Vargas tutored him as they slowly built the AGE-1 prototype from a dream to reality.

As he worked though, he began to realize there was a pattern to it all.

The UE weren't making indiscriminant attacks. Flit now realized he had stumbled upon the reason on when and how they magically avoided all the heavy Federation patrols guarding the colonies and trade routes with unbelievable dumb luck.

They weren't. The UE were using a highly complex equation that formulated a very accurate prediction, much like how mathematicians calculated stock changes, of where and how the Federation moved their patrols. Which tiny spot would be left unguarded in relation to the orbiting colonies and floating space debris. How the Federation would react when a ship was destroyed or a colony blasted from the heavens.

Which colonies would most likely not be suspected as targets.

_With this, we can catch them. _The bell rang; time for the next class, but Flit wasn't interested in school anymore.

"Flit, please look over your test scores," the spectacle-wearing teacher said curtly.

Flit took the thing and read over it absently. _I got a 58 in reading, 20 in math, 30 in, oh right, the answer to where the UE will move next, _He laid the paper aside and began the finishing touches on the calculations. As he did, a growing fear was gathering in the pit of his stomach. The next attack would be Nora.

"Flit, please, your test scores are dropping." the teacher said.

"I'm a genius and I don't care what that stupid piece of paper says."

"Stop scribbling. What's that there anyway, some new design? Is it an upgrade for Haro's new widescreen function?" She asked excitedly.

"No." Flit began stashing his schoolbooks away in his backpack. Bruzar had to see this. Grodek would agree with him, he was good with strategy, so was Adams.

"A mass production for Haro? You know I would love to buy one. All the teachers would. The school even asked to purchase the design. You should think more about your financial future, Flit. You can't keep living off of Mr. Bruzar's goodwill forever you know. And your fortune won't last with it all invested in your Mobile Suit's development."

"I'm sorry I have to get to base, it's urgent."

"Whoa there," she grabbed him by the shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you worried about the attack on the Techno Solon craft?"

"Yes. We may have themat our doorstep without us even suspecting. Oh, and the warship was supposed to dock today."

"Oh come on," someone in the class groaned. "Here he goes again, paranoid as usual."

"Remember when he ran screaming like a baby when the asteroid struck the colony," someone snickered.

"Yeah, he started wailing about Colony Buster missiles. Idiot, that only happens to colonies without military personnel. Poor traumatized victim."

"Flit, you are a bit paranoid," Dique, Flit's chubby friend, said, putting a hand out to calm him down. "Just breathe."

"No," Flit yelled. "I figured it all out. I have to go. I'll be back later."

Flit took his pack and charged out of the room, the other kids laughing and joking. Concerned, Emily jumped up and ran after him.

_My classmates at Orvan can't laugh even if they wanted to. If the UE get here unchecked, these won't be laughing ever again either. _

Flit ran as fast as he could, headless of Haro and Emily calling after him. He took the tram running along the balcony overlooking the giant glass wall panels that glowed with artificial clouds and false sunlight. At night, they would close the hologram to reveal the stars beyond.

As he sat impatiently on the tram, he didn't notice the girl sitting in the chair two rows ahead of him.

The girl didn't notice him either, she just stared out at the false sky, shivering. _Something's coming for us. _Yurin L'Ciel hugged herself as she felt the evil beyond the deceptively benevolent sky.

* * *

**Colony Nora airspace**

The sun shown upon the colony Nora, it's three solar panels idly turning, absorbing the sun to power the colony. Suddenly, three shapes with wings like dragons soured out of the ball of fire and roared toward Nora.


	2. Chapter 2 The Pilot, Flit

Disclaimer: Gundam is the property of Bandai, I don't own it.

* * *

**_Chapter Two The Pilot, Flit_**

* * *

Jerking to a halt, the tram's door hissed open by the civilian spaceport. With the traffic temporarily discouraged by the Federation, only a handful of people graced the giant complex. Yurin L'Ciel took a deep breath and began to walk briskly over the pale blue marble plaza. Just a few more minutes, and she would be safely away before things began to get ugly.

* * *

**Aliston Base**

"So you're saying all the money the Federation invested in this project went into that _egg_ thing, and that while we have the right to take it, I cannot load the Gundam into the _Diva _because it belongs to that child?"

"Yes," Grodek said bluntly.

Dian Fonroid looked about ready to start pulling out his hair. "And on top of it, that data holder the boy has is necessary to operate the stupid MS. And we only have one. This prototype was a waste of time and energy. And it's in the possession of a teenager too young to have a car license!"

"Nevermind that," Bruzar waved his hand dismissively. "You still have the AGE Builder."

"I will have you court-martialed if it is the last thing I do," Captain Fonroid yelled, stalking off.

"I hope you meant what you said about spitting in HQ's face," Grodek said. "Because you just did. I'll go talk to him," Grodek offered, hurrying after Dian.

"This day could not get worse," Bruzar thought. "I'm returning to the command center," he yelled after Grodek. With a tired sigh, Bruzar wearily strode off to a waiting jeep.

"Strange," one of the sensor operators said.

"What is it?" Milias asked.

"We just lost all communications with FTC. They were giving us last minute instructions for the _Diva _when suddenly the line went dead." The operative pressed a button. "The emergency line too."

"All commercial lines are dead as well," another operator called. "Lieutenant Milias, your orders?"

Milias frowned. "Maybe we're experiencing a 'Blackout'."

"You mean the incredible signal jamming that accompanies UE attacks? Don't joke like that Milias," Adams snapped from his post.

"Who said I was joking," she replied. She glanced down at her own terminal and got to work. "Visuals of our surrounding space should be up in, yes. I have a picture from camera 097," she frowned at the blurred image of something resembling a mobile suit. "The camera picked up something odd, but it's not functioning correctly. What's the status of the other cameras?"

"None are working properly," the operative reported. "Shall I run a fixer on the image?"

"No I'll do it. While I do, contact Commander Bruzar." As she spoke, the photo program finished and brought up a clean version of the image, depicting a violet mobile suit holding a giant warhead over its shoulder. A jagged green, visor-like line lit up across its face. Milias gasped.

"Sound all emergency evacuation alarms," shouted Milias. "Get me through to the civilian spaceport, and have the base put on red alert!"

Adams took one glance at the image of the UE Gafran mobile suit and got to work. After a moment he slammed his fist into his console in apparent frustration.

"I've arrived," Bruzar said, running into the room. "Adams, Milias, report."

"I can't find a single ship on the radar," Adams fumed. "I'm going to do a close-range scan on the colony interior to detect enemy MS."

"We are experiencing a UE Blackout," Milias said. "we can't call reinforcements at all, or use cameras either, at least not effectively."

"Nobody panic," Bruzar shouted over the clamor. Everyone went silent.

"Good, good," he wiped his forehead and moved some of his hair aside. "I have dealt with these things before. How's the civilian spaceport? They usually attack there first."

* * *

**Nora Spaceport **

A gate official noticed her as she approached the terminal and smiled. She smiled back, but stopped with her ID half out of her small pocketbook. A shudder ran through her and she stifled a scream. If it weren't for the fear, Yurin would have blushed at the worker staring at her with an askew glance.

It was coming. Yurin tried to move, but she felt danger everywhere. The colony was a mousetrap, and there was a cat waiting to pounce into the port outside.

"Are-are you alright?" Asked the concerned guard, coming out of his booth. "Miss?"

"Run for your life," Yurin said as calmly as she could, trying to look and sound like a rational human being. The fear spiked in intensity and she spun around with a gasp to run as fast as she could.

"Wait, calm down, come back," the man yelled, totally baffled. "You dropped your ID!"

_Stupid powers, _she shook with frustration and fear. _No one _ever listened to her. She _could _have saved him.

The spaceport entrance, built into the wall of the colony, exploded in a shower of glowing shrapnel. Yurin felt the life of the screaming guard behind her vanish in the deafening noise.

She hit the cold marble hard, throwing her hands over her head as the ground shook. After a moment, she glanced back to see the complex burning. A blue metallic claw smashed through the building. Yurin felt she would faint as a head appeared moments later.

Forcing herself up, she began to run. Behind her, the machine burst through the spaceport entrance, shrapnel falling from its shoulders. The fire reflected in its polished metal hide. The mobile suit raised its hand toward the fleeing Yurin, but it stopped after a moment and turned back around into the port.

_Why did it leave?_ Yurin asked herself. She found a hover scooter parked nearby. She hopped aboard and gunned the motor. She needed to get off the colony, but had no clue where to go.

_Head to the military spaceport, why don'tcha._

"Who's that?!" Yurin looked around wildly and sped up. Someone was watching her.

* * *

**Aliston Base**

Bruzar said, closing his eyes in resignation. "They've begun the assault already. At Orvan, we could still make transmissions inside the colony shell, so we aren't totally helpless."

"Sir, I have found three mobile suits that are most likely Gafrans," Adams called. "Two are riding Nora's exterior hull. I'm picking up readings of some kind of transmitter. And…Yes. One is currently inside the port. I'm picking up a very large heat signature."

"Yes, base cameras still functioning have taken pictures of fire. The images are garbled, but apparently the flames are spreading to the colony interior," Milias added.

"Good thing," Bruzar stroked his beard furiously, ignoring the looks his subordinates gave him. He sighed. "The fire still spreading means we aren't leaking air into space," he explained.

"Maybe they won't break the colony up." Someone said hopefully.

"Oh they will," Bruzar replied. "The transmitter Adams detected is a guiding beacon for the UE missile. Once they set it up, they will fire it and terminally damage the colony."

"Then we're doomed," Milias said, staring at the console as if petrified.

"No. Orvan blew apart quickly because I ordered the guiding beacon destroyed," Bruzar explained. "Without it the missile struck the wrong section of the colony. In a normal situation, we'll probably be given three hours after impact before Nora's rotation becomes so unstable it rips itself to pieces."

"Then we still have time," Adams said with slight smile. "Orders, Sir?"

* * *

"Hold onto something and brace for impact," Bruzar said with a determined look. "and get me in touch with Grodek."

"This isn't how I envisioned my visit, Deputy Commander Ainoa," Fonroid said, arms crossed, his back leaning against a rail overlooking the AGE-1 Gundam as Vargas and other technicians moved it into a nearby hanger.

"Our plan can still work," Grodek assured him crossing his own arms. "Flit is very cooperative. He will want to help."

"More importantly," Grodek continued, "We know from data gathered on UE that we can predict their next set of targets. Aside from Torrian, they'll hit here next."

"Not that an extra patrol would help," Dian said. "Not with their ability to just appear and disappear at will."

_Of course not. Since your friends at Command wouldn't send a patrol regardless. _Grodek straightened his cap. "True. Hmm," He cocked an ear.

"Did you hear a booming noise, like a building collapsing?"

"The hanger shutter?" Dian offered. "Then again, I see smoke coming from the spaceport. What do you think it is?"

Grodek heard his pager go off and grabbed for his PDA. "That would be our answer." He put the phone to his ear. "What's the situation, Bruzar?"

"UE attack," Bruzar said over the comm. "have Dian get back to the _Diva _immediately, Grodek."

"I heard," Fonroid said, waving a two-fingered salute and rushing off.

"What are we going to do about the citizens?" Grodek asked, heading after Fonroid.

* * *

"I suggest moving them to the colony core," Bruzar replied.

"the Core, why would we do that when the lifepods can launch quicker?" Milias asked, narrowing her eyes at Bruzar. She and Adams shared a glance.

"Ah, I see their reasoning," Adams said, snapping his fingers. "In the last three years of terror attacks, the UE have left no trace of lifepod debris."

"Oh, I get it." Milias said. "So that means the UE are kidnapping the survivors."

"And so they go after the pods one by one," Adams finished. "But the colony core is a large cylinder. The UE will have more trouble-hopefully-of abducting it. We can defend one thing better than hundreds of small craft."

"Especially since retrieving them during Blackout would be a nightmare," Milias said, looking down at the floor. She glanced back at the terminal, feeling slightly less helpless now that she knew Bruzar had a plan. _I pray Emily and Flit are safe. _She scowled. _But not Haro. He can burn.  
_

* * *

Flit arrived at the Base's gatehouse when the world suddenly jerked and rattled as if a toddler smashed its fists against the walls. Flit felt a chill stop his legs cold. He could never forget such a feeling, like the world was coming apart. The UE had launched a missile.

The next thing he knew, a shockwave hurled him into the cement. All went black.

* * *

"Flit. Flit, wake up. Come on."

Flit opened his eyes to a blurry blonde thing that sounded like Emily. He squinted as everything came into focus. He closed his eyes again and sat up, rubbing at a painful part of the back of his scalp. He felt crusted blood and his hand came back with spots of red.

"Wh-what, was that?" Flit asked, looking around, still dazed. Haro rolled over to nudge him.

"Flit is okay. Flit is okay."

"Thank you Haro-Ahch!" Flit cried out as Emily flung herselfon him.

"Ah, Emily, that hurts, my shoulders are bruised," Flit complained.

"Sorry. I just, I thought you were dead. You wouldn't wake up," Emily said, looking down.

Flit stood up, his eyes fixed on a whirlpool of bodies, debris, trees, and other flotsam draining down into a black hole in the colony wall.

Flit felt the wind tugging on him, and he froze in terror. He was too late. _They _had come to snatch away his dream, his Gundam, just like they did his mother and his home Orvan.

The wind picked up, Haro began rolling helplessly toward the abyss. "Flit! Emily! Haro H-a-r-o." The robot flapped its ears desperately. But finally hopped up too high just as the wind intensified, sending Haro flying into the air.

Flit watched the green sphere disappear amongst the buildings. He wanted to run after his little creation, but couldn't move. His leg remembered its old wound and began throbbing.

A scream from Emily snapped Flit out of his terrified trance. He looked over to see a gust of wind whip her ponytail about her head as the hungry vacuum began to drag her steadily after Haro. Flit grabbed Emily and began to pull her back. He looked behind him to find the mobile suit hangers nearby. How far had the blast thrown him?

"Come on," Flit screamed. Taking her by the arm, the two began to run for the nearest hanger.

Something pricked the back of Flit's neck, causing the hairs there to bristle. He whirled around.

"Um, Flit," Emily cried, grabbing his shoulder and pointing at three gigantic blue Gafrans wing their way up the center of the cyclone and transform into a pair of human-shaped machines.

Armor shining, the mobile suits charged low over the city, one transforming again to fire a wave of yellow beams like a hail of brimstone that set the buildings on fire. The others' tails came over their shoulders and began firing a stream of beams into the Aliston Base tower.

"Flit, Emily," Cried a voice. Both turned to find Vargas waving at them from an open door in the hanger, desperate to get their attention.

A shutter door opened and a red Genoace mobile suit pounded out of the hanger, beam spray gun firing desperately at the approaching Gafrans.

One of the Gafrans in humanoid mode landed with a crash, almost knocking Flit and Emily off their feet. It opened fire from its palm-mounted beam machinegun.

"Get over here you two," Screamed Vargas, waving desperately.

Flit and Emily tore themselves away from the battle and rushed through the door. "Why did you wait? Do want to be killed?" Vargas snapped, throwing the door shut. "It's still not safe here. Let's get further into the hanger."

* * *

**Aliston Control Center, two hours before colony collapse**

"I think I have something," Adams said, sitting straighter in his seat. He felt his pulse quicken as the object sped up rapidly. "A missile-no-a mobile suit with a different signature than a Gafran is approaching at high velocity. Measurements indicate it's moving three times faster than a normal UE machine."

"Perhaps if we fired the anti-siege cannon," Milias said, "we could destroy it before it reaches us."

"Should have done that before we knew they were coming," Bruzar said with a grim smile.

"We can at least try," Adams said. "Even if it takes time to charge, we can support the _Diva _once it's operable." Adams brought up the cannon's controls. "Strange, I can't get it to charge."

"Hold on, the camera is working," Milias said.

A moment later the screen came to life. A violet Gafran's visor lit up and it held up a twisted piece of machinery for the camera to see.

"Well that explains it," Milias said.

"What?" Adams hurried over. "Oh."

"What happened?" Bruzar asked.

"The purple one ripped out the cannon's primary power conductor," Adams deadpanned.

"I wondered where he'd gotten off to," Bruzar growled. His face tightened into a dower frown and began to do something on his terminal. "Grodek, come in. How long until the _Diva _is ready to pull the Core free?"

"Fonroid has been trying,but those three Gafrans have been harrying the exterior of the port so bad we haven't been able to budge. They left just minutes ago, and now Fonroid is waiting for the AGE-1, but we haven't gotten it yet. How long before it reaches us?"

Bruzar nearly lost his balance as the entire room shook. "About that. It appears those Gafrans ran over to our neck of the woods. One has the AGE-1's hanger pinned down, and the other two are firing away at the tower to _make sure_ there's no tomorrow."

"I see. I'll let him know." Grodek's face disappeared from the chat screen.

"At least the evacuation is going smoothly," Bruzar said with a hopeful smile. "Thank goodness Nora's rotation is destabilizing slowly. At this rate we'll be ready to depart in the next half hour."

"Sir," Adams said, jerking his head around, "The colony core's support pylons are starting to send reports of excessive stress. If they break loose at any point, we could lose the whole colony in minutes."

"I had to open my mouth," Bruzar muttered, smashing his fist into the terminal. The computer screen beeped in protest. "Oh shut up, you. Adams, I want Vargas to load the AGE-1 onto the _Diva _as fast as possible. We don't have time to argue with Fonroid about launching without it."

"You don't think he's trying to use this situation to steal the AGE-1," Milias began.

"I don't care at this point. If he wants the stupid mobile suit he is welcome to it," Bruzar made a sweeping gesture with his arm. "Increase the anti-air barrage. Those Gafrans cannot be allowed to cause any serious structural damage to the tower."

A blast rattled the entire facility. One of the operator's screens went blank and Bruzar's own terminal flickered. He brought up a camera of the outside, watching as the pair of Gafrans circled the tower, firing volleys of saffron beams.

"Not good," Bruzar muttered. "They're just invincible. Our normal weapons can't do a thing."

"A pylon has just lost structural integrity," Adams reported. "The thing is going down."

"I have it onscreen," Bruzar said, watching as the huge support pylon began its descent, his face in his hands.

"Now we _only_ have thirty minutes left."

* * *

Its claws speared into the Genoace's head, sending sparks and lubricant spraying in all directions. The Gafran then fired a beam blast from its torso cannon, blowing a hole through the Genoace's belly. The ruined machine exploded, and the Gafran stalked unfazed out of the fire, visor lighting up with a feral, green glow.

A missile launcher fired a salvo into the UE MS, while a Genoace rushed out of an opening hanger shutter, heat stick raised above its head. The Gafran's tail angled toward the Genoace and fired off a blast that went wide, but still tore apart the other mobile suit's left arm. At the same time the Gafran demolished the missile launcher with a storm of machinegun fire from its outstretched hands.

The Gafran whirled around and let the Genoace stab at it with its heat stick. The weapon did nothing against the Gafran's armor. The UE mobile suit raised its right hand, a sulfurs beam saber igniting from the mouth of the beam machinegun located in its palm. The Genoace fell a second later, cleaved in two.

* * *

**Aliston Base MS Hanger, twenty-eight mintues until colony collapse**

Inside the hanger, Largan Drace rushed past Flit, Emily, and Vargas as they huddled next to the transport truck carrying a prostrate Gundam AGE-1.

"I'm heading out," Largan called to Vargas. "Use the time I buy and get the Gundam to the _Diva._"

"Sure thing," Vargas said. The old man turned to Emily. "You and Flit get out of here. There's an underground stair that leads to the tower. You can get to the Core from there."

"I'm not leaving my Gundam," Flit said defiantly. "Besides, I know what the UE are capable of. The Gundam is the only thing that can fight them off. Have Largan use it."

"Absolutely not," Vargas snapped back. "We only just tested its maneuverability today. It's still a prototype."

"It's better than a Genoace!"

"Vargas, hurry it up," Largan called from his Genoace as the machine stomped to the hanger shutter.

"Go," Vargas insisted, pushing Flit and Emily toward a door at the end of the hanger. Vargas turned around and ran for the transport.

A pair of soldiers at the door beckoned for Flit and Emily to follow. Emily made for the door, but stopped short when she realized Flit was not following.

"Flit, don't," Emily screamed as he rushed to a ladder on the side of the transport truck.

A moment later, he was at the top, looking down at the machine the AGE device had allowed him to build. Years of dreading a UE attack, of knowing they would come just in time to ruin his dream of building the Gundam. He set his teeth together as he hopped down onto the Gundam's chest.

But he had finally built the Gundam. He refused to let it be destroyed or captured _now_, not after coming so far.

Taking out the AGE device, Flit keyed in a command that opened the cockpit hatch. He hopped inside, strapped himself in, and placed the AGE device in a space designed for it, right in front of the main targeting monitor.

Meanwhile, the Genoace readied its rifle as the shutter finally started to open, revealing the Gafran crouching low to the ground. Largan jerked the controls, sending the Genoace's shield up to take a storm of beam fire. The shield blew apart, and the Genoace fell back to the ground, its armor covered with smoking holes.

Flit watched the Genoace fall as the AGE-1's monitors came to life. Vargas' face popped onto the screen. "Flit, get out of there now. That's an order!"

"If you won't let Largan pilot it than I will," Flit snapped. He began to work the controls, raising the mobile suit up. "They won't destroy my dream. Not after I worked so hard. UE"

Vargas seemed resigned and sighed. "You'll have to readjust the autobalancer as you go. It'll be tricky, going up against those advanced MS."

"Don't call them mobile suits," Flit snarled, eyes staring determinedly at the screen as the Gundam ponderously rose. "They're monsters." He glanced down to see several field medics carrying Largan between them. The UE hefted its tail rifle and fired at the ruined Genoace. Flit's vision became a sea of flames as the Genoace exploded.

"Vargas!" Flit cried. The Gundam stood to its feet and toppled off the transport, landing face-first. "Come on Gundam," Flit coaxed the machine. He made an adjustment to the autobalancer like Vargas suggested. The Gundam immediately responded; Flit could feel the machine balancing better as it stood again.

Flit glanced down to see Vargas and Largan disappear as the far door slid shut. He heaved a sigh of relief.

Flit trained his eyes on the Gafran, which apparently did not see him. The Gafran was tearing apart several combat jeeps with its beam machinegun. Flt let the Gundam stalk out of the flames, fighting his shaking hands and feet. If he were standing, he felt sure his legs would buckle like wet noodles. A vision of the monster looming over him all those years ago in a burning Orvan flashed through his mind.

"I can do this," he told himself over and over. "I built it. The UE can't defeat it." He made the Gundam reach down and pull out its beam knife.

Spinning almost casually around, the Gafran's face visor lit up in an almost taunting way. The machine raised its left arm, then activated its yellow saber, the light reflecting off its armor.

Flit screamed and sent the Gundam charging at the Gafran. The enemy took a single step toward the Gundam and swung its beam saber. The Gundam's automated combat system took control for a panicking Flit, who could only stare in fear as the glowing beam swung toward the cockpit.

At the last second, the Gundam ducked under the swipe. Flit shook his head to clear it and ground his teeth as he speared the beam knife at the Gafran's head. The machine's other arm darted out and knocked the knife out of the Gundam's grasp, then crushed it beneath its foot as it headbutted the Gundam, sending it crashing back to the ground. Flit grunted in pain as the cockpit shook with the impact. He opened his eyes to find himself staring down the barrel of the Gafran's tail cannon. The jagged visor line flickered to life on the enemy mobile suit's face.

Flit knocked the beam aside, just as the cannon fired. The blast threw the Gundam onto its chest. The autopilot had the Gundam begin to stand. The Gafran took a step backward and unleashed a two-handed barrage of beam fire.

He closed his eyes and threw his arms over his face, expecting searing heat to be the last thing he felt. Instead, the Gundam stood up to its full height, totally unscathed. "The armor held," Flit breathed. He had never expected the alloy to be so strong. He swallowed the knot in his throat and sent the Gundam charging forward again.

The Gafran seemed stunned that the Gundam was undamaged, and drew back several paces, firing its beam machinegun desperately with one hand, while the other activated its beam saber.

Flit stopped just short of the Gafran and kicked its arm wide. The Gafran swung its saber in a vertical stroke. Flit hit the booster, rocketing into the Gafran. The enemy mobile suit sidestepped, grabbed the Gundam by the head and spun it around. Flit felt his heart leap into his throat as the Gafran's torso cannon began to glow.

Grabbing the last knife, Flit activated the beam and speared the torso cannon. Aquamarine embers blew from it. The Gundam took several steps backward, nearly falling over again, were it not for Flit adjusting the balancer yet again.

The torso cannon exploded, parts of the armor blew off the UE mobile suit in bursts of flame. Sinking to its knees, smoke billowing from its chest and torso, the Gafran hung its head in defeat. The green visor line went dark.

"The Gundam defeated it," Flit murmured, enraptured by the sight of the smoldering UE mobile suit as the Gundam towered triumphantly over it.

"Flit," came a voice over the comm. The face of Bruzar appeared on screen. "You did it, boy. That was some fine work. But listen, no celebrating yet. We have less than twenty minutes to evacuate the Core. Get to the _Diva _as fast as you can. It's in the military dockyard at the end of Nora. When you get there, board the ship and wait for further instructions."

"Right," Flit said, turning the Gundam around and starting off at an steady walk.

* * *

**Colony Nora Interior, fifteen minutes until structural collapse**

"Emily, why are you going this way?" Dique shouted over the wind. "The evacuation elevator is the other way. Don't you want to get back to the Core?"

"No. We're safer on the battleship that docked here. That's where my grandfather went after we left the base."

"But they won't let us in," Dique shrieked as his cap was nearly blown off by the wind. "I don't want to go. It's not safe out here!"

Emily spun around, "Than why did you even come?"

"Because I was worried when you headed out of the evacuation line. I didn't know you would go wondering through a breached colony! Besides, you're a girl."

Emily groaned. "Oh Dique, one day you're going to marry a girl who slaps your ass and wears the pants in your household."

"Fat chance of that happening," Dique replied.

Emily looked over Dique's chubby frame. "Exactly."

"Hey, there's a kid up ahead," Dique said, pointing at an alleyway between two buildings.

Looking where he pointed, Emily spotted a little boy with bright red hair. The child's matching white shorts and shirt with blue trimmings flapped wildly in the violent gusts. He looked over at them and smiled.

"Hey, you need to get to a tower," Emily called, worried. "It's dangerous here!"

The boy waved goodbye and ran into the alley.

"_Wait,_" yelled Emily while a blast of wind nearly pulled her off her feet. "We can't help him if we're airborne," Emily told Dique. "The military spaceport is just up ahead. Let's go."

Dique complied, but kept turning back to look at the alley.

The boy never reappeared.


	3. Chapter 3 The Power of Age

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam. But you know that already.

_**Chapter three The Power of AGE**_

"That voice led me on a wild goose chase," Yurin muttered darkly, her scooter fighting against the wind as she made her way for the closest tower on a deserted highway. She didn't sense the owner of the voice anymore. Curse whoever it was. "I have no one to blame but me for believing the military would allow a civilian into a restricted area."

She sped along, looking up at the swirling cyclone of air. Was that her fate?

Suddenly a billboard torn from the roadside rushed toward her. Screaming, Yurin spun the scooter at the approaching obstacle and sent the machine darting over it. As she did, the side of the scooter hit the edge of the billboard, sending her off course. Yurin jumped free of the scooter, which plowed into the pavement a moment later, blowing apart.

The wind grabbed Yurin and flung her into the highway median. She grabbed hold with all her might. Looking around desperately, she closed her eyes and waited for her strength to give way.

* * *

**Nora Military Spaceport, fifteen minutes until colony collapse**

"What do you mean we can't get in?" Emily snapped at the soldier standing in front of the closed entrance to the spaceport. "I have security clearance!"

"We are sorry but we were under attack mere minutes ago," the guard replied stubbornly over the intercom above the door. "All civilians should be evacuating to the Core via a tower elevator."

"Fine," Emily muttered, striding away to a stand of wildly blowing trees.

"What are we going to do? We can't get to a tower, they are all too far away," Dique yelled, running behind the trees with her. "Why are you hiding?"

"Just watch," Emily said. "They'll have last minute supplies coming in, I'm sure of it. We just wait until they do and"-

-as she spoke, a vehicle drove up to the gate and seconds later the large, metal hanger door ponderously rose. The vehicle drove inside.

"See," Emily said, rushing out from her hiding place to sneak under the hanger door as it shut. "Easy."

* * *

**Colony Nora, en route to Military Spaceport, fourteen minutes until colony collapse**

"Finally," Flit said to himself, blowing out a sigh. The Gundam's finicky autobalancer was now working perfectly, thanks to the data he had uploaded from the AGE device. "Staying up half the night working on that paid off," Flit said smugly to the Gundam. "Wait until I tell Emily."

His forward screen sent a red crosshair down toward a small figure holding onto the highway median. It magnified the image, showing Flit a girl wearing a fuchsia colored dress. She stared up at the Gundam, her sable-violet hair flying wildly across her terrified face.

"Why didn't she evacuate?" Flit wondered, sending the Gundam closer. He reached out the Gundam's hand, stooping so she could climb aboard.

It must have looked like an attack to the girl, because to Flit's surprise, she screamed and began to run, fighting desperately against the wind, which hurled her back like a ragdoll. Flit caught her in the Gundam's hand and opened the cockpit hatch.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," He said, keying on the speaker. The girl looked into the monitor with a confused look and ceased her struggling.

Flit moved the hand up to the open hatch so they could see each other directly. "Hop aboard," he yelled.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then climbed into the cockpit, the hatch shutting behind her with a hiss.

"Here," Flit said, looking around for a place she could sit. The Gundam was a single person mobile suit, and there was hardly enough room for Flit outside the pilot's seat. He blushed. "I guess you'll have to ride on my lap."

The girl, who was squatting uncomfortably in the Gundam's control panel, happily obliged and climbed uncertainly into his lap.

"Sorry about this," Flit said, the Gundam started walking again, this time at a brisker pace.

"It's fine," The girl answered.

"Why didn't you evacuate?"

The girl looked away uncertainly. "I, I'm not a colony resident. I was at the spaceport when the UE attacked. I went to the military dock, hoping they would have ship to evacuate."

Flit wondered how she couldn't have heard the loudspeakers blaring the evacuation instructions, but decided to drop it and focused on the road ahead. "Well, I'm heading to the military spaceport, so I guess that means you can get aboard after all."

The girl looked suspicious for a second. "Were you the one calling me, then?"

Flit's brow furrowed in confusion. "Calling you?"

The girl looked away and laughed nervously. "Nevermind. It's nothing."

Flit stared at her violet hair for a moment, admiring its luster, then turned away awkwardly. "My name is Flit."

"I'm Yurin. Yurin L'Ciel."

* * *

**Nora Military Spaceport loading bay, thirteen minutes until colony collapse**

"They will throw us into space without a helmet," Dique intoned as Emily tiptoed between storage crates, machines, and whatever she could to hide from the workers running about madly.

Trucks filled with crates began moving toward a ramp leading to the transgravity elevator joining the rotating colony and stationary spaceport. Lights flickered to life along the walls bordering the ramp as the trucks lumbered up to the elevator, which opened its metal cage while a pair of yellow warning lights spun.

A man in a yellow Federation uniform and cap strode over to the last truck, gesticulating over what looked to Emily like the barrel to a battleship particle cannon. The man seemed satisfied as it was loaded, and walked to a waiting jeep with a pair of officers.

From their position, Emily and Dique could hear every word they said.

"Phew, I can't believe we had to drag out spares for the particle cannons," The dark skinned man in the yellow uniform said. "We've lost too much time. That Bruzar, just what is he thinking, trying to pull the Core out with _my_ ship." He straightened his cap.

"We don't have time for that, in all honesty Sir," the man at the wheel said. "are we going to go along with his game? Our mission is to safely deliver the Gundam and AGE Builder to Command HQ."

"We'll ignore them of course. As soon as the Gundam arrives, we'll disconnect the chords and leave," Dian said with a dismissive wave. "The safety of the entire Earth Sphere is more important than this single colony. Drive."

The jeep started up and began moving after the last truck. When the jeep reached the ramp, Emily turned to Dique. "This is our last chance to get aboard the ship. If we are left here, we die when the colony blows. Are you going to be a coward or are you coming?"

"I'm coming I'm coming," Dique assured her as they dashed after the jeep. "but that captain doesn't seem to care either way!"

"Then be extra quiet," Emily suggested, fighting down her own nerviousness.

As they followed the jeep to the second level of the loading bay, Emily prayed that the men would not turn around to see them. As they neared the top, Emily stopped and jumped, pulling herself up behind the operation controls of a crane. She looked down to see Dique jumping up and down desperately not too unlike a ball, his chubby fingers never quite reaching the ledge.

"Hurry it up," hissed Emily.

"I can't," Dique snapped back.

"Grab my hand," she reached down and caught him, grunting to haul his hefty frame up beside her. "Oh, I think I pulled something," she said, gingerly rubbing her back.

"Blame my genetics," Dique snapped.

Moving as fast as they could, Emily reached the personnel elevator, which rose and fell with the larger vehicle lift. "We made it she said," breathing a sigh of relief as they stepped onto its metal floor.

"I thought they saw you for sure," Dique said, breathing hard after the dash.

"How could they not, with a planet running after me," she countered. "You're worse than Haro."

The elevator rose with a screech as the cage doors slammed shut and the lifts rattled upwards.

* * *

**Aliston Base Control Room, Fifteen minutes until colony collapse**

Bruzar watched his subordinates file out of the room, heading to the waiting _Diva. _He turned to the only one left, Milias, who still sat at her console, giving last minute instructions to the base personnel. She finished and rose from her chair.

"You'd better hurry," Bruzar said, taking a seat at his own station.

"You're not coming?" Milias asked in surprise.

"No. This is the only place where we can detach the Core from the rest of Nora."

"How will you escape?" She fixed gazes at him.

"Hm," Bruzar smiled knowingly. "I survived one colony collapse. I'll survive this one."

"That's not good enough for me," Milias said, clinching her fists. "I'll stay with you and offer support."

"You and Grodek have been the best assistants I could have asked for," Bruzar smiled, lacing his fingers together. "But you both worry too much, Milias. I have an escape route that leads to a waiting shuttle for just such an emergency as this. I'll join you aboard the _Diva _shortly."

His subordinate closed her eyes and nodded. "Sorry, I underestimated you again, Commander. I'm off." With that Milias departed from the room.

"I'm surprised I pulled that off with a straight face," Bruzar said to himself. The entire room shook as the Gafrans continued their unrelenting assault.

"So they want to bring down this tower too. Well, you won't succeed while I'm still here," Bruzar shouted. "Come on Grodek, why haven't you given the signal yet?"

* * *

**Nora Military Spaceport loading bay, fourteen minutes until colony collapse**

Emily and Dique rushed out of the elevator, both forgetting they were now weightless. Both flew into a corner by mere chance just as the vehicle lift opened up and the trucks, using verniers, boosted off toward a massive airlock high above a slightly smaller one, which was closed by a metal door.

A pair of Federation officers stood just in front of the door, looking somewhat bewildered. They apparently noticed Emily and Dique, and started over to question them when Fonroid's jeep pulled up in their path. From their position.

"Why are you both outside the ship?" The man in the yellow uniform snapped.

"Sir," one of the men said, obviously bewildered. "We were told you needed our assistance, from your very own communicator," the man said nervously.

"My-"Fonroid reached for his PDA, but his hand groped at empty air. "That's right, Grodek asked me to lend him mine, after his was crushed by a crate. What in the world is going on?"

"I have no idea Captain," the second man said apologetically, "we only just arrived ourselves."

"No matter," Fonroid replied, jerking a thumb to the vacant seats beside him. "Climb on; we'll get to the bottom of this when we get back to the bridge."

As the two men did so, the airlock door ponderously opened, revealing a man silhouetted against the light, blocking the jeep's path. The door finally stopped with an echoing boom.

"Deputy Commander Grodek," Fonroid shouted. "Good, I have some questions for you."

"Oh, is that so?" Grodek asked, head lowered as he stalked forward. "Looking for this?" He held up Dian's communicator.

"Idiot, you're prank cost us precious time! What's your problem?" Dian snapped.

Grodek smiled faintly. An instant later, he leapt atop the jeep's front hood, gun in hand. Two men fell immediately, shot in the heart by an electric charge from the pistol. Grodek then shot the two men beside Fonroid before they could even scream or climb out.

"What?" Dian said, shocked. "Fool. What are you doing?"

"I should have thought it was obvious," Grodek replied. "I'm taking the _Diva _for myself."

"Why?"

"I refuse to let you abandoned Nora's civilians to die," Grodek said. "At first I thought more highly of you than the rest of Special Forces, but now I'm not so sure." His smile widened. "that is, until you bravely sacrifice yourself helping the last refugees escape." The gun whined as it powered up.

Grodek raised his eyes at Emily's hiding spot, and she jerked her head back around the corner.

"Bastard. You wouldn't!" He pointed an accusing finger. "Without me, our plan can't succeed. They'll_ never_ let_ you _interfere with Weedout without me to support you!"

"Oh?" Grodek's smile broke into a grin. "Don't worry about me. I have my own plans. Thankfully, they were designed to work without your help."

"You'll be executed for mutiny and treason against the Earth Sphere!"

"That's fine. If this is treason, then so be it. I'll accept the consequences for this. After I blow the UE to atoms." Grodek motioned for Dian to take the wheel.

After putting the body of the unconscious driver in the back, Fonroid started the jeep forward, Grodek's gun pointed at his head.

Peaking out of their hiding place, Emily and Dique watched the vehicle depart.

"Did we just see something we were better off not seeing?" Dique asked nervously.

Emily watched the vehicle disappear behind the doors of the airlock. "It doesn't matter. So long as we can get through to the ship. She pointed to the vehicle lock far above. "That one leads to the ship's interior Mobile Suit Hanger, if it has one. My grandfather will be there, so we should go that way." Without another word, she and Dique jumped off toward the opening.

* * *

"Is this all the security the Federation HQ Database has?" Grodek asked with a derogatory laugh, watching the data on Dian Fonroid disappear from the Federation's files on a laptop. Now there was no evidence that Fonroid had ever been assigned to the _Diva_. Instead, a file began to load confirming the transfer of control over to him.

"Grodek you bastard, what are doing?" Dian snapped, struggling against the chords tied around his wrists.

"I just took over your old job as _Diva's _captain. I promise to take good care of your ship," Grodek said, striding from the room. "This is an escape pod with a lock on it. It can only jettison if it is released. But I'm not going to," he stepped out into the hall beyond.

"I'll get out of here and kill you," roared Dian. "Just wait you backstabbing traitor."

"Well, I doubt that." Grodek drew the pistol. "Goodbye, Dian Fonroid."

* * *

**Battleship ****_Diva, _****Ten minutes until colony collapse**

"Emily, Dique, what are doing here," cried Vargas as the two sailed past him inside the _Diva's _hanger, wearing spacesuits.

Emily looked over at a white, egg-shaped thing being sat near a control room not far away. She thought the room might lead further into the ship and pushed off against a railing toward the door, Dique tumbling after her.

"Please let us board the ship," Emily said, although she guessed it was a foregone conclusion at this point.

"Oh for, Emily you can't just board a ship like it's nothing. We could be shot down in battle!"

"If that happens the Core will be crushed to pieces," Emily protested, reaching the door, which slid open noiselessly. "We have a better chance surviving in here than there."

"Fine," Vargas hung his hands in defeat. "But _stay there._"

Emily smiled and nodded, disappearing into the control room.

* * *

"Where is the crew?" Milias asked, drifting onto the bridge. She grabbed the chair and pulled herself into the comm. chief's empty chair.

"Odd," Adams commented from the navigator's station, "I can't bring data up on the crew, and it says Grodek is now appointed captain!"

"What happened to Fonroid?" Milias asked suspiciously.

Milias looked down, something about all of this felt strangely unsettling. "Nevermind that for now, this is a dangerous situation. We'll launch even if we have to do it ourselves. All hands, prepare for departure!"

The door to the bridge opened, Grodek entered a moment later, hopping into the captain's chair.

"Deputy Commander," Milias said in surprise. "What's going on here?"

"No, from now on I am Captain of the _Diva._ We just got a call in from Big Ring confirming it. I'm…afraid Dian was lost during the Gafran assault while we were trying to load last minute supplies."

Milias stood up, staring Grodek in the face. "I wasn't aware of this. What became of the bridge crew?"

"We have nine minutes until Nora kills everyone inside," Grodek replied calmly, still looking ahead at the main viewport. "Helmsman, start us up and take her out slowly. We have the cables already connected, so we're clear to give Bruzar the signal." He turned to Milias, "that means you, Lieutenant Alloy."

Milias fought back a retort and angrily returned to her console with a "Tuh". "The Gundam hasn't arrived yet, Captain," she said after a pause.

"We don't have time to wait for Flit," Grodek said after a second's pause. "This operation is time-critical."

"I can't get in touch with Bruzar," Millias said, holding her earpiece.

"Scanners indicated that the Aliston base tower has fallen," reported Lino Resin from the sensor board.

"Deputy Com-Captain Grodek, what do we do?" Milias asked. "We can leave port, but what good will that do?"

"We won't be sitting vulnerable inside the dockyard," Grodek replied. "Move the ship to condition red and prepare for launch. Make sure that those wires don't get tangled; stay on course and do not deviate unless to escape enemy fire."

"What's the status on the UE mobile suits?" Grodek asked.

"The two Gafrans are inside the colony interior. The fast one we detected back at Aliston and the purple one are hanging back."

"We have visuals, Sir."

Grodek watched on the chair's monitor as a dark grey and tan mobile suit and violet Gafran appeared, both watching passively.

"What could they want," Adams asked.

"They probably are waiting for lifepods that are never going to show," Grodek theorized, removing the image as the _Diva _finally moved out of port and just in front of the colony. Everyone felt a slight jerk as the tow cables drew tight.

* * *

**Nora interior, eight minutes until colony collapse**

Gasping for breath, the feeble form of an old man appeared in the dimly lit hallway. Behind him, a trail of blood led back toward a ruined elevator shaft.

"To think they would, or even _could _follow me into the underlevels is ridiculous," Bruzar spat out a glob of blood. "I should have done this from the beginning."

He took out his communicator and opened a channel to the _Diva. _

"Bruzar, where are you?" Milias' voice cried from the other end immediately. Bruzar could barely understand the static-laced words.

"I took that passage I told you about," Bruzar said, stopping a groan of pain as broken ribs screamed in protest. "But I guess the Gafrans overheard. I'm currently making for an old control room used to oversee Nora's construction. I didn't think about it until they destroyed the Aliston tower, but it _should _allow me to free the Core. The route used to get to it was sealed up for security a while back, mostly because of pirate raids."

"Can you get to it?" Grodek and Milias asked in unison over the comm.

Bruzar didn't answer until he rounded the corner, the wounds gained from the elevator's destruction raining droplets of blood on his boots.

Ahead, he looked up to see part of the ceiling had caved in, a metal girder had crushed through a wall panel, revealing a dark passage beyond.

He put the comm. to his mouth. "We are in luck. The passage is opened, but it looks like the UE were here before me. I don't know if they are monitoring me, but I'm going to give it a shot regardless."

The floor above shook, the lights flickered. Bruzar staggered into the dark passage just as a giant boot crashed through the ceiling.

* * *

Flit opened his eyes to find Yurin lying on top of him, her slender body pressed comfortably against his. Behind her, the monitor revealed a damaged passage, dimly lit by green wall sconces. One flickered on and off sporadically, casting moving shadows over the surrounding debris.

"What happened?" Yurin asked, sitting up.

"Something shot at us from below," Flit said, quickly looking around. "I think it left, but it's probably waiting around a corner."

The AGE-1 ponderously rose, yanking its foot out from a hole. It looked up at the ceiling. Flit saw a large crack high above, apparently where they fell from. He thought he saw a Gafran flying in the air high up near the Core, but he wasn't too sure. Yurin moved off to sit on one knee as she had been prior to the accident. Flit tried not to think about how her body had felt pressed against his and started the Gundam forward.

"To the right," yelled Yurin.

The Gundam jumped out of the way just as a barrage of beam cannon fire flashed past, striking the walls in a rain of metal and concrete. The Gafran ahead jumped forward, beam sabers raised, lighting the room with a hideous sulfurous glow.

Flit drew out the beam knife and cut wildly at the enemy, who backed up uncertainly as a little boy with bright red hair ran passed the machines' feet toward an exit hatch.

"Who the hell is he?" Flit asked, startled.

"Now, at the face," Yurin said suddenly. "Quick, Flit."

Turning back to the enemy, Flit boosted forward and speared the distracted Gafran. It's visor line winked off and the machine collapsed to the ground.

"Now we just have to get out of here," Flit said, with a sigh of relief.

"By the way, Yurin, how did you know the Gafran was-

-Get back," Yurin said, turning to him with her deep blue eyes dancing with fright. "Now!"

Flit complied, bewildered by the girl. Normally he might have demanded an explanation first, but with her shoulder pressed against his chest; he was finding it hard to argue.

Glowing Seams appeared in the Gafran's armor, then it emploded on itself.

Flit gulped as he watched the machine reduced to burning slag.

* * *

"There it is," Bruzar said to himself, accessing the colony's axial shaft controls. "I've done it." He raised a shaking hand to the communicator, "Milias, tell Fonroid and Grodek that-"he collapsed to the ground, smearing blood against the side of the console.

"Bruzar," screamed Milias.

"It's ready. No time to waist," Bruzar managed through clinched teeth. "Oh, who'd have thought a falling elevator would kill me?"

"We'll send a team to rescue you," Milias started quickly; "I'll be there in a second."

"No," Bruzar yelled sharply, it took effort to breathe, and he felt as though water was filling his lungs. "It's too late to help me, Milias. Don't disrespect my sacrifice by blaming yourself," he added as he heard her choke back a sob. "You're strong. Move on and take care of the people of Nora. I'm counting on you and Grodek."

The communicator fell from his hands.

* * *

"Now what?" Flit asked.

Yurin closed her eyes. "Wait."

"We don't have time to wait. I need to get us out of the colony before it begins to tear itself apart!"

"I know," Yurin insisted. "1-2-3-4," she counted off. Her eyes snapped open. "Now!"

Fire erupted from the hole the Gundam made with its foot, spraying molten metal all over the wall and on Gundam's armor. Something flashed up through the storm, the burning light reflecting off a metallic, dark grey and tan armor. The thing looked almost like a stingray or bat as it flashed up to the floor above and disappeared.

"A new UE model?" Flit asked, wanting to shrink back, but he refused to show fear with Yurin beside him. An instant later, suction grabbed the AGE-1 and yanked it down into the glowing opening.

Flit started in surprise as the world began a spinning tableau of stars. He saw Yurin's ponytail flap up beside his face, strands of her dark violet, almost black hair waving in his face. Yurin clutched the seat's shoulder straps as the two of them went weightless.

"We made it," Flit cried with joy. "Yes. But," he looked over at Yurin, and turned back quickly as their faces almost bumped. "Ah, how did you know that was going to happen, Yurin?"

She looked away. "Don't. I don't want you to think of me as a freak."

Flit hesitated answering as he glanced back to find the stingray suit hurtling down from the colony. A pair of red eyes flashed to life on the sides of its tapered fighter-shaped nose as it unleashed a barrage of beam machinegun fire. Flit dove out of the way, the enemy UE suit flashed past, the edge of its wing sending the Gundam into a spin.

"Flit!" Vargas called. Flit turned to see the old man's face staring at him from the left monitor. "You made it, now get back to the _Diva_, we need you to protect the ship while we remove the Core."

"But I have no weapons," Flit protested. "and there's this thing attacking us!"

"It's coming!" Yurin screamed, too late as the enemy slammed into the AGE-1 with the nasty, jagged horn on its tan shoulder armor, rattling Yurin and Flit inside the cockpit.

The enemy machine transformed into a humanoid shape and grabbed the Gundam's chest with a clawed hand. It threw the Gundam to the side, then transformed again to ram it in a blindingly fast move. Flit cried out and drew the beam knife. The machine was in humanoid form again, punching, then kicking in a blur. Flit slashed at the UE, but it backflipped away and then rushed in to slam it's thick shoulder armor into the Gundam again, tearing through the armor.

Flit slashed again, but found the weapon's beam out of energy. The enemy sped to the left, disappearing. Almost instantly Flit felt the cockpit rattle again as the enemy sent the Gundam flying with a powerful kick. Alarms blared.

"The front no up to the right-to the left," Yurin cried, but the enemy moved too fast for her and flashed down below the Gundam, transforming into a powerful kick that caused a warning alert on the Gundam's status screen, showing the head was nearly blown off by the strike.

"The booster," Flit growled, sending the AGE-1 rocketing toward the edge of the colony. The _Diva_ came into view, guns blaring at a purple Gafran wheeling around the battleship's blasts.

"It's coming behind us," Yurin warned, eyes closed. "Dive into a roll."

"How are you doing that?" Flit demanded, sending the Gundam into a barrel roll. Flashing beams darted past like a shower of shooting stars.

"Vargas," Flit spoke into the comm., his voice shaking. "we _need_ help! The Gundam is out of weapons."

"I know," Vargas replied, looking down at something. Behind him, Emily and Dique looked over the man's back.

* * *

Onboard the _Diva,_ Emily's eyes grew suspicious. Flit's face was the only thing readily visible, but she saw what looked like black, or perhaps violet hair behind his own. Was someone in the cockpit too?

"Flit, good news," Vargas said, straightening. "The AGE Builder has taken data from your battle with the Gafran. It's making a weapon designed to pierce through their armor. I'll send it to you as soon as it's finished."

"The AGE Builder can make weapons just by collecting data?" Emily asked in awe.

"Amazing," Dique said, looking over at the white oval. "So that was Flit's secret project he couldn't tell anyone about. All the kids at school thought it was just a horned Genoace."

"It is more than that. The AGE Builder designs and constructs new weapons from raw ingots, and can upgrade them into powerful new weapons, like biological evolution, it and the Gundam are constantly aging into newer, better machines. This show should be Gundam Evolve, but that name was already taken."

"That's just sweet," Dique said, growing excited. "What is it making now?"

"I don't know yet," Vargas admitted. "It will tell me details once the machine is finished. That's a bug we need to work out of the system. I need to monitor its designs so we can tweak them if need be."

Inside the AGE Builder, dozens of robotic arms folded down, flashing lasers over a metal slab, shaping it into a new armament.

* * *

**Battleship ****_Diva,_**** two minutes until colony collapse**

"Easy does it," Walt said from the helm.

"Twenty percent of the Core is out of the colony Captain," Onette Cory said from her seat behind Grodek.

"We still have two minutes," Grodek said as he gripped the arms of his seat, watching the Gafran easily evade the anti-MS cannons.

"Edward, have the crews work their fire in a coordinated effort," Grodek ordered, turning to the chubby man desperately working at the gunner's station. "I know you have never operated a ship's gun system, so listen to my instructions. Order the turrets to drive the Gafran toward the AGE-1."

"Captain," Adams said, spinning around angrily. "Flit is being pummeled out there."

"He can't handle two UE," Milias added.

"If we don't stop that Gafran, we may end up having a cable cut in the cross-fire," Grodek responded, raising his voice enough to be heard over his subordinates. "If that happens we won't be able to direct the Core out of Nora, and we will be stuck. If Flit dies, it will be worth saving all those trapped inside. I'm sorry," he turned to Milias. "I know how fond you are of him. But he is in a soldier's position while in that mobile suit, we have to make that decision or risk losing everything we have fought for."

"Sir, a second Gafran is approaching from within the spaceport," Lino called.

"We cannot fire the particle cannons until we make repairs," Edward said. "And we are out of missiles."

Grodek sighed and let go of the chair. "Enough, Edward. Transfer all controls to the turrets over to me," he said, folding down his computer terminal, the screen widened.

Grodek smiled over at a surprised Adams and Milias. "What? I happen to be an excellent shot."

* * *

Filling the cockpit with their screams, Flit and Yurin closed their eyes as the world spun wildly. Yurin flew back and dashed against the monitor, only to rush back as the cockpit shook and the Gundam flew in the opposite direction. Alarms joined their screams.

The stingray mobile suit had caught up with them.

Flit grabbed Yurin's hand as she sailed passed the third time and drew her close, eyes widening as he saw blood on her face. Boosting away from the monstrous enemy to gain some time, Flit strapped Yurin in with him. "I should have done that before we went into space," he apologized. "Is it bad?"

Yurin touched her forehead. "A scratch…Watch out!"

The Gundam flew backwards, spinning crazily. Flit watched the stingray materialize in front of the screen, a wicked looking blade in its yellow claws. He watched the blade cleave a perfect cut across the Gundam's torso, leaving a long, wide scar in the armor.

"It cut through," Flit cried as he dodged a vicious stab toward the lower abdomen.

"It's on its way," Vargas shouted at Flit. "The new DODS rifle, it should pierce through enemy armor. It also has a pair of beam sabers comparable with the enemy's in terms of thermal energy output."

"There," Yurin pointed at a white rectangular box sailing toward them from the _Diva's _hanger. "Power for you."

"I have it," Flit snapped his fingers. "You're a parody!"

The stingray flashed by the box, tearing it apart with beam fire. A beam rifle flew from the debris and into the Gundam's outstretched hand. A pair of white objects attached to the sides of the weapon activated, forming a pair of beam bayonets that extended well beyond the rifle's barrel.

"He says he thinks it looks cool," Emily muttered fearfully, staring at the patiently waiting UE mobile suit.

"Who does?" Flit asked, watching a green circle appear on his targeting computer, with the words DODS rifle popping up in the center. "Can this really damage the UE, Vargas?"

"It should. The only way to know is to try it out. The beam spins, drilling into the enemy machine. The data says it has a vastly superior penetrating potential in comparison to the spray gun."

Flit keyed off the chat screen and whirled around to face the oncoming UE. A crosshair popped on screen, targeting the enemy mobile suit.

A warning signal drew Flit's attention to a purple Gafran sailing towards him on a pair of dragon-like wings, visor lit, tail beam cannon firing. Flit moved out of the way, looking wildly between the two UE. "I can't fight both."

"Focus on the violet one," Yurin said after a pause.

Shaking his head at the girl's wondrous powers, Flit aimed at the oncoming machine and fired. The Gafran looped around the shot in a graceful somersault. Flit ground his teeth together and fired twice, once at the enemy's chest, the next to its right. The Gafran looped around the first shot to its left, letting the second blast fly past hopelessly far from the mark.

"Ghrr," Flit fired a fourth time, nearly clipping the enemy's wingtip.

Sweat beading on his brow, Flit noted that the green bar had gone down significantly. He guessed he only had four or five shots left. "This is bad. I can't hit it."

"Calm down," Yurin said gently, her breath ghosting past his chin.

Flit felt his heart start to race, despite taking in a calming breath. The purple Gafran showered them with a rain of beam fire, but Flit didn't even bother dodging the machinegun.

"Here," Yurin said, wrapping her own hand around his, sending a tingling jolt through Flit's entire arm. "Just follow my instructions."

"Uh, o-okay," Flit said, blushing. "Um, what do you want me to do?"

"Forty-five degrees up and to your right," Yurin said suddenly. Flit felt a jolt of something different than the touch of her skin. It felt almost powerful, like a burst of adrenaline. He could practically _see _what she meant, where she wanted him to point. When he blinked, for a single moment he saw through her eyes the spot where she pointed. At that second, the Gafran flashed into the space.

"Now," Yurin said.

Flit fired the rifle, holding his breath. The beam tore into the Gafran's midsection, the revolving energy spinning the Gafran upside-down as it was torn into three pieces. The remains flew apart in a display of fiery colors.

"We did it!" Flit pumped his free hand in the air, paying more attention to the other trapped in Yurin's soft yet firm grip.

Flit wondered if she would complain if he hugged her, but stopped as his sixth sense flared to life. He whirled around to face the stingray.

"It's too late," yelled Yurin, wrapping her arms around him in preparation for the incoming strike.

Flit held onto the control yokes as hard as he could as the stingray suit slammed itself into the AGE-1's back, then elbowed it in the stomach at nearly the same instant.

Boosting backward, Flit took a swipe with the bayonets, forcing the enemy back, then fired a shot at the machine, which disappeared from that space with a flicker of purple light from the vent-like spaces on its back.

Then the enemy came slamming down with a punch to the Gundam's shoulder, knocking it back. Flit yelped as the UE suit kicked the Gundam's legs, flipping the machine head over heels.

Flit sat dumbly in the cockpit, watching the stars move as the Gundam spun. Then everything was shaking violently again, his head struck Yurin's and he felt like vomiting as a painful jerk sent them flying in a new direction. He looked up to see the enemy start into a spin, lashing out with a perfectly timed roundhouse kick.

An alarm screeched in Flit's ear, although it might have been Yurin or himself that screamed, he no longer could tell which. The monitors went black.

"…Yurin," Flit said, shaking her limp form. "Wake up. I need you." He pressed her head close, trying to keep it from jerking about as the Gundam underwent a series of vicious blows. The emergency monitor flickered to life, allowing Flit to see the enemy's wicked blade impale it. The screen went dark again.

"I can't see," Flit wailed.

"I'm fine, really," Yurin said, trying to break free of his grasp. "You can let go."

Flit hesitated and finally complied, cringing as another blow battered his precious Gundam. "Without the camera's I can't aim. It's over," he hung his head, fighting back tears with all his might. The Gafran slammed into the machine's back-he guessed-sending his head snapping forward, pain flared up and down his spine. Seven years of working so hard on the Gundam, and he was witnessing first-hand as the new UE _alien _ripped his dream to pieces.

"I failed at everything," Flit croaked. A warning alarm flashed across the console, but he only needed to listen to hear the sound of the stingray suit trying to pry open the AGE-1's cockpit. To get him. To finish what the monsters at Orvan failed to do. Even now that he had the Gundam, _nothing_ had changed.

Worst of all, he had brought Yurin along to die with him.

"Don't give up," Yurin pleaded, squeezing his hand. "We can still fight."

Flit sent the bayonets swinging at where he guessed the enemy was, but knew he didn't strike anything, although the prying noise of groaning metal stopped.

"See," Flit yelled at Yurin, gesturing at the monitor, "It's no use!"

"No, you're wrong-

-I'm not some psychic like you," Flit said, lowering his voice to a more defeated tone. "I don't have your powers. If I did, we wouldn't be here, waiting for that alien monstrosity to pry us out and kill us."

Yurin placed a hand on Flit's cheek, silencing him. "Calm down," she pressed his hand against her breast. "I'll be your eyes. So you can still fight."

"What?"

"I'll be your eyes," she repeated as the enemy renewed its attack, sending them flying again within the Gundam's battered frame.

"In front, behind, above, to the right, below, in front, below, to the shoulders," she said in time with the enemy's punishing volleys of blows.

Yurin opened her eyes. "Boost upward at half speed and raise the rifle to fifty degrees. Good. Kick out in front of you!"

Flit complied, felt a crash as the Gundam rocketed backward. "Did we get him?"

"Fire!" Yurin cried.

Flit obeyed, pulling the trigger and watching as the DODS rifle's ammunition went down by a very unhealthy amount. They only had one shot left, by the look of it.

"I think he's retreating," Yurin said, seeming to relax against his shoulder. He felt her shoulder's tense again. "Angle two degrees to the left, now up twenty. Spin around and fire."

Spinning the Gundam around per her instructions, Flit fired the DODS rifle's last shot. He thought or felt rather, a green halo before his eyes, framing a blue Gafran as its wing was torn off.

"Is it retreating," Flit asked, rubbing his eyes in slight bewilderment.

"Yes," Yurin said wrapping her hands around his. "Let's go to the warship."

Something tapped against the AGE-1. Flit saw an alarm indicate that the rifle had been torn from his grasp, along with the hand manipulator.

_That's cheating, Ms. Violet. _

"Boost back," screamed Yurin. "Hurry!"

Flit tried to boost, but he had the strange sensation of centrifugal force, as if he were spinning rapidly around and around. He felt himself being crushed between Yurin and the seat by an invisible weight. "Ahhhh, Yurin, I thought you said it retreated!"

"I can make mistakes too," she shrieked back as the stingray mobile suit twirled the Gundam around and around by its handless arm, letting the other mobile suit's booster do the work. With a fiendish flicker from its visor, the UE MS released its hold, letting the Gundam sail toward the _Diva_.

"Yurin, what's happening!?" Flit yelled, trying to regain control of the Gundam.

"A ship, we're heading for it and the stingray is right behind us," she gasped. "I think we sprung a leak, the air is getting thin!"

Flit noticed this too and searched around for the answer. The enemy's blade must have gotten closer to them than he first realized. The thought sickened him at how close they must have come to being impaled while he sat there moping like a child.

Suddenly the Gundam crashed into something. The booster system whined as it informed him of critical damage. Something smashed the Gundam back against what he assumed was the hull of the _Diva _and held it there.

* * *

"Flit!" Milias screamed into her earpiece as she and the rest of the bridgecrew watched the Gundam slam against the _Diva _with a nasty flash of light as its back-mounted rocket booster exploded. The enemy mobile suit, which Onette identified as a Zedas, a rare model among the UE, roared through a net of beam fire thrown up by the _Diva's _guns, grabbed the Gundam and slammed it down into the hull again with its momentum.

"How long until the colony collapses?" Grodek asked, letting his fear trickle into his voice.

"The colony is two minutes passed its break-up point," Adams said, eyes glued to the main viewport as the Zedas rose and sped up to fill the screen with its flashing visor. It darted backwards, giving Adams a perfect view of its chest cannon powering up for the finishing blow.

"It's over!" Screamed Grodek as half the bridge crew started to leap from their seats.

Milias didn't bother moving; knowing that at this range, the bridge would disappear in an instant after the Zedas fired its chest cannon.

For a second that lasted an eternity, the Zedas floated in front of them, then its cannon glow died away and the UE transformed and roared off into the starry distance.

Grodek let out a huge sigh. "How much of the Core is removed?"

"Eighty percent, Deputy-I mean, Captain."

"Why did it leave us alive," Milias asked, her face still staring at the viewport in shock. "It had us."

Milias cried out as she flew from her seat, an ominous, far away boom reverberated through the ship. She struggled as she rose into the air, unable to grab anything to right herself. Adams took her by the arm and guided her back.

"Thanks," She said, turning to find Grodek hop off the ceiling and back-flip into his seat. _Show-off._

"What was that noise and why have we stopped moving?" Grodek demanded.

Wald Bedd sighed from the helm. "It can only be a pylon. It's jammed against the Core, stopping us from moving any further. It's a good thing we were moving slowly, or we would have broken the cables."

"Not after we've come so far," roared Grodek, slamming his fists against the console and catapulting himself out of his seat. "Damn it all. There's nothing we can do." His face twisted with grief. "Perhaps launching the escape pods _would_ have been better."

"The colony is tearing apart!" Lino called from his seat, his voice quavering.

"What would you think of this, Bruzar?" Grodek thought aloud, shaking his head.

"He would think you are a bright, young man," a static-riddled voice came over the comm.

"Bruzar!" Milias and Grodek cried in unison.

"Where are you right now?" Grodek asked, returning to his chair.

"In the colony," Bruzar replied with a hoarse laugh. "There is a pylon tower wedged against the Core and the exit. I'm going to blast it out of the way. I had better hurry too; it looks like the walls are starting to twist free on the other end."

"How are you going to-

-I have some explosives in this little pod of mine," Bruzar smiled. "Reminds me of my days as a colony grunt worker. Built this colony up from scratch I did. That's how I knew about the sealed construction terminal. Listen, Grodek, take care of everyone. And that boy too. I have some things to say to him, so this is…Goodbye for sure this time. I thank you all for putting up with an old man way past his prime….activate the thrusters on my signal."

The line crackled and went dead.

* * *

"Flit," Bruzar said, deftly maneuvering his colony worker pod through a maze of debris-filled corridors. "Can you hear me, son?"

"Bruzar! Where are you?"

"In the colony." The pod flashed out into open air.

"What?! I'll come get you. The AGE-1 can still move."

"I'm so sorry, but I can't let you do that, Flit. You wouldn't survive. The colony is tearing apart. In a few seconds, this whole place will be breaking up in a thousand pieces; you know what it's like."

"But-

-Quiet Flit," Bruzar snapped. He looked down at his blood-soaked clothes. "My body is beyond repair, I have a duty to offer what I have left to the people of Nora. But you, you have a duty to _live_ on for yourself-for Emily-for your dream."

"Don't do this Bruzar! You're the only family I have. Come back," the boy begged. Bruzar refused to look at the sobbing child on the other end, setting his eyes on the viewport as he weaved through a storm of flying wreckage.

There's something special about you, Flit," he dashed around a burning house, its frame breaking up. "I saw it in your eyes as we watched Orvan burn. The way you looked so indomitably as your home burned away as your mother's funeral pyre."

He stopped to cough up blood, splattering the viewport with red droplets. He felt his heartbeat begin to run wild. "That didn't crush you," he rasped. "This won't either. Live! Save this world from the evil that tore our worlds apart." The pylon tower rushed to meet him as he stepped on the accelerator. Bruzar turned to look into the monitor, matching gazes with the crying boy on the other end.

"I love you, Flit."

He keyed off the chat screen. "_Diva, _this is your last order from me. LAUNCH," the world disappeared for Bruzar in a brilliant explosion. The fireball vanished, and the last section of the colony core slid out of the twisting wreckage, free as the pylon broke in two and fell to the warping colony walls below.

* * *

"Bruzar!" Flit screamed into the blank chat screen. His hands flew over the console computer. A second later, a garbled image flickered to life on the monitor from an auxiliary camera. It was designed for tests, not combat, and Flit was amazed that it still functioned.

He wish it hadn't been.

Metal scraped against metal in a multitude of places, creating a fireworks show of sparks as the colony walls bent and twisted like a body in its death throes. Somewhere inside, the man he owed _everything_ to was dying, or already dead. He had saved Flit from Orvan, had given him everything he needed to build his mother's Gundam, had given him a new home at Nora with Emily and Vargas on the military base. Had given him someone who loved him.

The solar panels tore to pieces and shattered in a glittering display. Then the power plants detonated, hurling the doomed Nora's remains in a starburst of molten metal. The pale vapor cloud around Nora ignited into a writhing nebula of fire, enveloping the colony in an orange glow. The burning veil died away seconds after, leaving only a ghostly, burned shell where there had once been a thriving world.

* * *

As crew hands set the battered AGE-1 down in a mobile suit docking stand, Flit sobbed in the cockpit, curled up in a ball, headless of Yurin's sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"I'll let you be alone for a while," Yurin said gently, floating out of the cockpit and onto the gantry.

"Wait," Flit called, flying out after her. He grabbed the top of the hatch and stopped himself in front of the catwalk. "I'm so sorry I caused you so much trouble, and that you hurt your head because I didn't strap you in, I just-I was embarrassed so I-

-Stop," Yurin put a finger to his lips. "If it hadn't been for you I would have been in that cloud when it caught fire. And you built this amazing machine. I don't think we could have survived that thrashing in a Genoace. Thank you, Flit."

"If I had powers like you, I could have done more," Flit said, hanging his head. He laughed bitterly. "I even started crying in front of you. I'm a weakling."

"You're wrong," Yurin said, smiling, fixing gazes with him, her violet-blue eyes sparkling, "You have these powers as well. You just needed a friendly guide to help you along."

"What are you saying, Yurin?"

"Here," Yurin undid her ponytail, letting her violet-black hair spread out slowly. "Here, keep this as a gift for helping me."

She blushed. "and don't stop me any longer, I hate having my hair do this, it's embarrassing." She darted silently off the catwalk, sailing expertly down to the hanger below, her hair trailing behind like a sea.

"Wait!" Called Flit, he looked down at the ribbon, not sure how to respond. "Why'd you leave?"

"Flit!" He turned to see Emily rushing into his face, her cerulean eyes rippling with concern.

"Who was that girl?" Emily asked, coming to stop an inch from his face. "Answer."

"I'm fine, after _nearly getting killed several times_, thank you," said flit, looking away. "and she was no one, just as girl I saved from being sucked into space."

"What's _this_," Emily pointed at the ribbon. "Did she give it to you?"

"Yes, it was a present for saving her life."

"That was thoughtful of her," Emily said, glancing suspiciously around the hanger. "Where did she go?"

"She is right there," Flit said. He looked around, pointing, but couldn't see Yurin anywhere. "I mean...she was."

* * *

Deep within the bowels of the _Diva,_ within the medical wing, a regenerator capsule opened with a hiss of steam. A nude figure sat up slowly, rubbing his head.

The man sniffed and looked around, his small, bright eyes taking in every detail of the room with their acute vision.

Smiling wolfishly, the man leaned back, "I smell the scent of battle."

* * *

Author's note: I would like to point out that events in actual combat of almost any kind usually take place _extremely _fast, while in writing they may take pages and pages to describe. As such, the battle between Flit and the Zedas happened over a brief span of time between the time they exited the colony to when Bruzar saves the Core from being destroyed along with the terminal cylinder.


	4. Chapter 4 The White Wolf

**_Chapter Four The White Wolf_**

**Earth Federation Battleship, ****_Diva. _****Bluewind Trade Route**

He closed his eyes as he bared his neck to the steaming hot water. It felt so good to be up and moving again. He flexed his limber, solid muscles, hoping he could move fast again. Those treatments always dulled his skills. He suspected that once you got too many healing sleep treatments, your body never really recovered its old skills. At least, that might be the case with most people.

Woolf smiled knowingly and sauntered out of the shower, drying his long, shaggy white hair. But he, Woolf Enneacle, was _not_ most people.

"Ah, this wild, gorgeous scent, it's the best," he said, sniffing his deodorant as he slapped it under his arms. He went to the mirror and wiped away some of the steam with his hand, staring at his perfect face with feral eyes. "and that suits me. Because I'm the best," he through the towel off his head and brushed his long bangs back with a practiced swipe.

"I'm looking great."

* * *

The fires came down, burning her, filling the air with charred flesh and Marina Asuno's screams. "Help me Flit!"

Flit jumped over the smoldering corpse of an old man, hands outstretched. The Zedas dashed in and kicked him away as a pile of boulders fell on Marina's writhing corpse.

It's visor lit up tauntingly and Flit felt all the bruises from his battle cover him again, fresh and painful. The Zedas hurtled into the sky, becoming a distant speck that vanished amongst the stars.

"Mother," Flit moaned, sitting up in his bed aboard one of the _Diva's _living quarters. Rubbing tears away from his eyes, he breathed in deeply. The bruises from his first battle didn't go away with the nightmare, and in fact grew more painful as he sat up and dressed. Flit rubbed a tender spot, deciding that the Gundam would have to undergo _extreme _cockpit improvements.

"To my credit, I didn't anticipate ever piloting it," Flit stated to no one in particular, trying to come up with an excuse for its shoddy design. "Actually, how do I know this isn't the norm for a pilot after battle?" Flit asked, pulling an arm through his yellow jacket. He glanced at the metal door, expecting to hear it bang with Emily's fist.

The surrounding contents of the room quickly grew strange and unwelcoming in the total silence. An air conditioner unit began to pump a cool, unsettling breeze into the space with an unsympathetic whisper.

Flit looked around, wishing he hadn't been too dazed to grab Haro back in the colony. He wanted something, _anything _familiar. He looked at the dresser, where Yurin's bow lay attached to a form-fitting clamp designed to hold objects in place. Even it didn't bring comfort, only memories of the harrowing minutes of his duel with that monstrous Zedas suit, and the seconds it took for Nora to twist apart and burn.

He floated over to the nightstand and opened the drawer, unclamping the hexagonal little device and holding it in his hand. The AGE device started up, displaying the capital A mark. Flit let several tears fly from his eyes and spun around and pushed against the desk, making for the door.

He pressed the device against his forehead. He came out of Orvan with nothing but the AGE device; he had moved on and rebuilt his life. Now he once again had been left with nothing but the AGE device. _I'll start over again like I did before, with this little device, and the Gundam. I'll rebuild my home with the pieces the AGE-1 let me save. _

Outside, a green sphere sailed into Flit, knocking him in the chest. Flit cried out in pain as the projectile struck him right where Yurin had crashed into him at some point. "Ohw," Flit hit the wall and flipped upside down. He looked up to find Haro flapping its ears happily in front of him.

"Flit. Flit is well," Haro chimed, red eyes flashing in time with its words. "Haro. H-a-r-o."

"Ha-Haro! How did you escape the colony?" Flit cried in disbelief, scrambling over to the green robot.

"Followed evacuation instructions. Followed evacuation instructions," Haro replied merrily. Then it stopped and darted away from Flit. "Haro is angry that you let him fly away. Haro doesn't like you anymore."

He rushed over and grabbed the sphere before it could escape down the hall. "Hold it, I need to use your computer screen for a moment," Flit tried to pry open Haro's mouth.

"Urrrrrgh," Haro growled, "No."

"What's your problem?"

"Haro wants a pink miniharo. Haro won't open until he gets it."

"Not that again," Flit growled, tapping one of Haro's eyes. The robot screamed in protest as its mouth slid up, revealing the computer terminal inside. "Better."

Flit floated cross-legged in the middle of the hall, watching the screen light up to Vargas' wizened face. "Vargas, how are the Gundam's repairs coming? Have you readied the AGE Builder to receive it yet?"

"Oh, Flit, nice to see you're still kicking," Vargas said with a sympathetic, yet uplifting smile. "And you found Haro I see."

"Um, about that," Flit started.

"He floated right into the docks and into the _Diva's _hanger while we loaded supplies," Vargas explained irritably, shaking his head. "That thing you made is amazing. I think Haro might be an even greater technological marvel than the Gundam."

"You better believe it," Haro called down at its opened mouth, ears flapping.

"Back on track," Flit suggested, giving Haro an intense stare. "I'll deal with you later."

"Humph."

"Well, the Gundam just came out of the AGE Builder," Vargas said, perking up. "That thing is amazing, Flit. Truly amazing."

"What's amazing Mr. Dyson?" Flit heard Dique's voice over the chat screen.

"Oh, hey Flit," Dique called, waving. Flit waved back through the screen, growing impatient. He could see the Gundam behind Vargas and his chubby companion, crisp and clean, with a fresh coat of white and blue paint.

"_The AGE Builder_," Vargas said, sounding slightly exasperated, looking at Dique. "Um, the AGE Builder was designed so that it acts as a repair station for the AGE-1. With its ability to carve out new parts from raw materials, and its assembly line, the Builder can easily disassemble and reassemble the AGE-1 to its original condition, even it if means replacing nearly every part. Because the system developed the Gundam's plans, it knows how to reconstruct it faster than a crew of mechanics ever could."

"It's only a practical function," Flit complained over Dique's enthusiastic babbling. "Don't treat it like my idea Vargas, I just copied the plans."

"Don't be humble," Vargas smiled, "It was your idea, your plans or not."

"What about the AGE System? Did it add the Gundam's upgrades?" Flit asked.

"Yes," Vargas said with a grin. "The Gundam has truly evolved. Just like microevolution, the System has taken data from the battle with the Zedas and listed upgrades for the AGE-1, which receives them when it is placed inside the Builder. its performance has now increased in various areas found lacking." Vargas glanced down at Dique with one eye. "That answer your unspoken questions, butterball?"

"Yes," Dique snapped, "And who are you calling butterball? You're built like an old junkyard dealer."

"I am not, I've just got a Santa Belly," Vargas shouted, pushing Dique away. "There. Sorry about that Flit, he's been bugging me without end."

"The upgrades." Flit said, his look telling Vargas his patience was long gone.

Vargas pressed a button, making a list pop up on Haro's screen detailing a list of upgrades. "First we have thrusters in the feet. You won't be easily flipped like a waterwheel like you were when the Zedas kicked the Gundam's legs," Vargas said. "You also have more maneuverability as a result, thanks to a couple extra verniers it installed along with it in the skirt. The armor for the Gundam has been given an improvement, but we need time to gather the materials necessary to make the alloy, since there is none on the ship," Vargas said with a frown.

"Aside from that, there is now a passenger's seat behind the pilot's," Vargas opened an eye, "Don't go taking Emily for joy rides in there, "and we have two new camera's installed, so the Gundam can still easily battle without the main camera. You'll never lose your head in combat thanks to that."

Flit rubbed his chin. "Hm, that sounds like a good list for our first battle. But surely there was more?"

Vargas looked like he was debating something, and finally sighed, bringing up another pop-up, this one a schematic of a complete set of armor for the AGE-1, featuring new limbs and a short sword. "AGE-1 Spallow," Flit read the name at the top, frowning over the plans. "I'm taking the guess we can't built it due to lack of materials."

"Right on the money," Vargas grunted, "and I for one don't know for sure about the Spallow, it needs more time to be run through tests before we waste resources on building it."

"I'm surprised we had any resources at all aboard the _Diva,_" Flit commented, pushing against the ceiling and floating back down to the floor.

"Well," Vargas said, glancing around, "It was kinda strange, but Grodek and Fonroid were having us load things even when we were ordered to go ahead and launch. Even by the time I reached the _Diva_, Grodek still insisted on loading extra supplies, like he expects us to be on a long voyage without resupplying or something," the old man shrugged, "But it was a wise move in the end, we couldn't have made the DODS rifle otherwise."

"Right," Flit said, glancing up to see Yurin float past overhead. "I'm going to go now. Let me know if there's anything you need."

"Will do," Vargas said, holding a thumbs-up as Haro indignantly shut its mouth.

"Flit is smitten. Flit is-

-Shut up," hissed Flit, kicking the wailing sphere down the opposite end of the corridor from where Yurin had sailed. I just have some things to say to her." He turned around to follow after the girl, but his feet refused to push off the floor.

A mix of emotions he didn't know how to categorize swirled about him. In truth, the feeling of her hand on his cheek, his hands, her whole body after they had fallen into the underlevels, had never gone away. He still felt the soft, tingling sensation of her body lying on top of him, yet he couldn't grow excited. A stomach churning sense of shame reminded him that it had been _her, Yurin L'Ciel, _not Flit, who had saved them from the UE Gafrans. Flit would have never survived the underlevels long enough to even _see_ the Zedas.

For this he felt he should thank her again, this time properly, for saving him, and for telling him thank you even after the Zedas had served his head to him on a platter, almost literally. But what about his attraction to her?

He wanted to know if she felt the same way. He had never thought of girls, not seriously. There was Emily, but she was the sister who grew up with him, the only playmate he had in a busy military base, until Bruzar finally allowed him to attend school. Even when he gained his manhood, his entire being had been totally focused on the building of the AGE-1. Living life could wait, he had said. The Gundam had to be ready, for when _they_ came back.

"It was the right decision," Flit told himself. "If the Gundam hadn't been ready, I would have lost Emily, Haro, Dique, the people of Nora, and never could have encountered Yurin to rescue her."

He looked up in mild astonishment to find that he had long pushed off and drifted into the interior viewing lounge, where a long corridor of windows let Flit see the endless expanse of the stars beyond. It was dark, so as not to disturb the millions of lights. Because of this, Flit was next to Yurin before he even knew it.

She stood silently with her hands on the window sills, staring pensively at the passing galaxies.

"Oh, Yurin, I didn't see you, so I followed-I mean, I wanted to talk," Flit said, cursing himself for making the mistake. He alighted next to her and took up the same position. "It's beautiful out there," he said, praying that the darkness would hide his blushing cheeks.

"It is," Yurin said absently, her eyes reflecting the stars like violet glass.

Flit looked at his own reflection for a moment. Maybe Yurin meant to forget about him after disappearing that day in the mobile suit hanger. But he wanted to know where they stood, if anywhere.

"Yurin, what do you think of me? You disappeared, and I couldn't find you anywhere on the ship."

"I told you I was embarrassed letting my hair fly around in zero gravity," she replied, sounding slightly offended.

"In the cockpit, I can't stop thinking about how we touched-"he felt blood rush to his cheeks as Yurin whirled around in surprise, her cheeks flushed. "And, well, I really liked it, but I realized I didn't know anything about you," Flit stammered awkwardly, "I've never felt like this, so I just wanted to know if you wanted to talk to me again."

Yurin smiled. "You've never talked to a girl you like before."

"No," Flit said, sighing hopelessly. "I just wanted to be honest with you, to ask if you wanted to tell me a little more about yourself," He fiddled with his fingers. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. My story was all about building the Gundam on Nora, I really never had much else to live for, ever since my mother died on Orvan."

"It is alright," Yurin said, turning to the viewport, her gaze somewhere else. "I've never had a boy tell me he liked me, or anyone tell me they cared."

"My story is pretty vacant. I was born on Colony Lakeside in the Atmite Colony Cluster. It was destroyed by the UE, and my parents moved to Tordia. I don't know when they died, or how long I was with them, I have no memories of that time. They were buried on another colony, and I was left to myself. The L'Ciel fortune was enough to get me by, and the Federation Welfare took good care of me."

Yurin sighed. "That's all that's worth telling. I eventually went out on my own, moving from colony to colony, always the pretty, quiet girl on the street hurrying past. The fortune might be nice, so long as you keep adding to it, but I had no source of income and my savings became scarce. I educated myself," she said, her quiet voice rising with a touch of pride.

"But when people learn of my powers…" she brought a fist up to her breast, "they aren't so good in life outside of battle. I space-out stupidly all the time, in the middle of the street. People think I'm having seizures, and wonder why I don't go to the doctor and have them fixed. Others just think I'm crazy. They call me a freak when I try to help them, to let them know the man who just passed by was about to pull out a gun," she gritted her teeth. "What good is this sense if I can't help the people around me?" She looked over at Flit with a serious expression, "It hurt, and I eventually learned to not care, and move on without ever settling down."

"That brings us to Nora. I was on my way to a foster family, who wanted to take me in, but the liner docked at Torrian and I was stranded here, on a colony I knew was about to be attacked. I ran around madly, knowing people wouldn't believe me. Then you saved me," Yurin said, looking away with a smile.

"I saw you looking at me," she said, "at my hair."

"Uh, well, I thought it was nice looking," Flit replied, not sure whether that was a good thing to say or not.

"I enjoyed the ride in the Gundam, until the UE struck and I had to use my sense. It felt humiliating to be honest, Flit. Someone was finally looking at me, and then my powers got in the way to spoil it all," she shuddered, "It felt like being completely exposed, using my powers to their fullest extent in front of you."

"Oh, I'm sure that being exposed would have been much better than that-" Flit clamped a hand over his mouth as his face turned crimson. Yurin hopped back a couple spaces, ponytail whirling around her head. "That's not what I meant! I mean _I_ would have preferred that-NO, that's not it! Forget I opened my mouth," he cried, pulling on his hair.

"I'm not just running on hormones, I think you're a really great person inside," Flit said hurriedly, "It's just I think you're beautiful, and you got too close to me in the AGE-1. But you don't have to worry, because it has a passenger's seat now." He looked up to see if she was even still there. "That's why I wanted to get to know you better…"

To his surprise, she was still there and sailed back down to her spot, a hand clamped over her own mouth, he thought he heard her giggle. "You're really honest, Flit." She looked over at him smiling, "but are you sure you aren't disturbed by my sense? Most people I've met rejected me after I demonstrated my power."

"Well, you saved my life with those powers," Flit explained, feeling his cheeks growing redder from embarrassment. "I wish I could have done more, especially now that I know you hate using them." He hung his head. Another failure to add to the list, and one he didn't even know about. "I'm sorry for bothering you, I just wanted to say thank you again." He whirled around and vanished into the darkened corridor, cursing himself under his breath.

"Wait," Yurin started, holding up a hand, but she drew it back and sighed, looking at the stars again, feeling her problems fading away into the great expanse. It was a fantastic view. When she looked at it, she forgot her troubles. "Maybe you aren't romantic, Flit," she murmured, "But a woman values honesty, and you have that in abundance." She giggled to herself. He liked her.

"But I let you know that you have the same 'gift' as me," she thought after a moment's silence. _I'm sorry Flit, I hope you don't suffer because I helped nudge your power awake. _

For a moment she felt ashamed, as if she were taking advantage of an adolescent susceptible to hormone rushes, merely so she could get a moment's happiness of knowing someone admired her. Especially someone who had the mysterious sense like herself. She only wanted to encourage Flit after seeing him so broken when Nora fell, but had it been the right decision?

"No, with that machine of his, he can use that power to stop the aliens." _He can be Arthur, and I the Lady of the Lake. Those powers will be an Excalibur for him. _This thought comforted her as she turned around to leave.

She stopped as another girl her own age drifted out of the darkness, a hand to her breast with a concerned look.

Yurin felt a flash of anger and anxiety from the girl, and tried not to cringe. "Hello," Yurin said tentatively, "Can I help you? I am Yurin L'Ciel."

"Emily Amonde," the girl replied politely, "I overheard you and Flit talking. I was concerned for him. You keep talking about weird powers, just what happened in the AGE-1 while you were together?"

Yurin fought down her blush quickly. "You needn't be concerned, nothing intimate, but it seems he's taken a liking to me. Is there something wrong?" She pressed her feet and hands squarely against the wall.

"I see," Emily replied, eyes not leaving Yurin's. "I heard Vargas and the others talking about how Flit was amazing, defeating two Gafrans blind. They assume it was the experimental camera, but I've seen him use it in the Gundam and it only shows one angle, the Gafrans were surely in the blind spots."

"Are you asking about my powers?" Yurin asked sadly, "I'm sorry, even the doctors didn't give any conclusive report. It's just a lot like a strong sixth sense. Maybe a seventh. Flit has it as well," Yurin said, looking down the hall.

"Well, I don't doubt you have intuition or something," Emily replied, still polite, "and he obviously seems to think you saved him out there, which you could have done. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but please don't pursue Flit anymore. I've been with him ever since he came to Nora. I love him a lot, and don't want to see some stranger seduce him away from me," she said, pressing a hand to her chest. "So please don't bother us anymore, you have no idea how he's suffering."

"I know I don't," Yurin replied, "and I understand how you must feel, at least partially." She closed her eyes. "But Flit is the only one who's never laughed at my power; I can't give up on the only person in years to show me such kindness. He did save me, after all."

She pushed off, moving past Emily. As she did, she smiled almost slyly as a thought occurred to her. "He liked my ponytail," she whipped it around her head and turned to look at Emily, "Remember, it doesn't matter how long you two have known each other, until you seal things up with him, he's free game."

Yurin turned back and continued down the hall. She had always wanted to say that.

_Flit's growing distant from me,_ Emily realized fearfully, putting a finger to her lips. She stopped biting on the nail and frowned determinedly. "well, so what?" she called after the retreating girl, "If he likes ponytails, that's fine, I have one too," she whipped it around her gracefully, just like the succubus did, and went off in the opposite direction after Flit.

"What was he thinking, confiding in that girl he barely knows?" She looked down. _Does he really not think of me as his girlfriend. _"Surely he knows how important he is to me, after all this time."

* * *

Inside his darkened office, lit only by the computer screen, Grodek Ainoa sat at the desk chair, hands clasped, the Captain's Cap sitting between the computer and a small, framed picture.

Grodek sighed and shut down the computer, making sure to remove the key, which was basically a portable hard drive, containing all his homemade programs for hacking into Command's mainframe. More importantly, without the key plugged into the computer during start-up, the computer's entire data files and memory would be erased forever.

Grodek sighed at all the precautions necessity demanded of him and looked over at the picture, closing his eyes as he sat up. With a determined stride, he walked quietly out of his office and opened the door to the _Diva's_ stark white hallway. The faces in the picture burned into his mind, goading him on with his charade. If he had to, Milias, Adams, the other bridge crew, even that blonde girl who saw too much, he would kill them all to achieve his goals. He didn't want to. If possible he would simply manipulate them, killing was a last resort when he had no options left.

The names he found with all the other nasty secrets of the Federation database blazed in his mind. _Geera Zoi. _

"Captain Grodek," called a pair of young voices.

Grodek turned around to see Flit Asuno, Dique Gunhale, and that girl, moving up behind him, holding onto the handrail grips on the wall. The girl, the only one on the entire ship who not only suspected him, but knew the truth. He would have to deal with her another time.

"We have a question for you," Flit said. "We were wondering where the citizens of Nora will go now." Flit started. "After we get to Fardain."

"I'm busy," Grodek said, giving them an impassive look, "Go ask the rest of the crew."

"Uh," Dique said angrily. The boy turned to look at Flit. "Geeze, he seemed so nice at first."

"What was that about, I wonder?" Flit murmured.

Emily swallowed and stared after Grodek with determined eyes. She didn't know what to think of him. She needed time to watch, and decide what kind of man had complete control of Nora's people.

_But when we reach Fardain, we can leave the _Diva_ and it won't matter anymore, _Emily reassured herself.

Grodek continued walking, the boys forgotten as the other name blazed inside him.

_Yark Dole.  
_

* * *

"I see, but that's not surprising," Milias told Emily, Dique and Flit as she warmed her hands on a steaming mug of coffee in the _Diva's _mess hall. Adams, on break, sat at another table, reading a report on a PDA while munching on his meal.

"The captain is a busy man," Milias finished, taking a sip of her coffee. "He can't answer all your questions all the time. Ah, the last of the Arabica beans," She sighed.

"I'm surprised we had such high quality product in the storeroom," Adams commented, "I was able to make some Affogato for dessert."

"Don't get used to it," Milias said dryly, closing her eyes, "We go back to instant coffee tomorrow."

"And here I was hoping for a mug," Largan called from the room, floating in from the door, which slid shut behind him. "Would have been nice if I could have tasted some."

"I saved a mug for you," Milias said helpfully, "and are you sure you're leg is ok moving around the ship?"

"Well," Largan said with a smile, "thank you." He dropped into a chair on the opposite side of Adams' table. "And my leg is fine, no weight," he grinned.

"About our question, Ms. Milias," Flit said after moment.

"Oh," Milias said, "I guess leg injuries don't mean much in space, silly me."

"I'll let it slide for that cup of coffee," Largan replied.

"Hold a moment, Largan," Milias said, turning back to Flit. "Well, kids, I guess the people of Nora will be given several choices. You can go anywhere in the colonies you and your families choose, or everyone can remain on Fardain. Then of course, the people of Nora might petition the colony to be reconstructed."

"Techno Solon Orbital Residential Building Industry Technologies, or ORBIT, is preparing to constructed new colonies in the Forge Zone," Adams said, bringing up a large projection on his PDA for everyone to see.

Flit looked at the image of hundreds of orange metal frames, most forming walls or cubes surrounding what looked like ships and other vessels. Ships, normal suits, worker mobile suits, multi-armed construction robots, chords, asteroids, shuttles, and other moving objects lent the place a hectic, bustling atmosphere that felt almost overwhelming, even from a simple holograph monitor.

"With reasonable prices, rebuilding Nora may be quite possible," Adams said as he deactivated the hologram.

"Looks like you guys will be able to get off the ship soon," Flit said to Dique and Emily.

"You sound like that doesn't include you," Emily accused with a frown.

Flit turned to say something, but the door hissed open, and a man in a white pilot's uniform stormed into the mess hall.

"What is this?" The man snapped angrily. "Just _what_ is going here?"

The pilot stopped in front of the table where Flit and the others sat, looking over them with a confused glance. He pointed a finger at Flit, "Why aren't we at Nora?" He gestured at the viewport, "when did we leave?"

He clinched his fist, "Was there a battle?"

He pointed a finger at Flit, "and why there _kids _here? Wait a second," he gave Largan's pilot uniform and Adams a long stare. "And who are you people anyway?"

Flit scratched the back of his head. He remembered this man from the news some time back. The shoulder-length white hair with ridiculous ear-like tuffs atop his head, tanned skin, beady, pale blue eyes, cocky attitude. Flit rubbed his chin. Wasn't he some convict who got sent to prison several weeks ago?

"It's Woolf Enneacle!" Dique cried, leaning forward. "I'm positive!"

"Who?" Flit asked, totally lost.

"The champion of the Mobile Suit Grand Prix," Dique replied, as if Flit should automatically know. "He's the famous pilot."

Woolf placed his hands on his hips and smiled smugly at the praise.

Adams and Largan stood up quickly and saluted, "I apologize, Lieutenant Enneacle, for not introducing myself earlier," Adams started.

Woolf waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine, I don't care about guys introducing themselves to me." He leaned down next to Milias with a feral grin, "I'd love to hear more about you though."

Milias looked away. "I refuse."

"She's Ms. Millias," Dique said in her stead, obviously excited to meet the famed ace.

"I see, I'll call her Millie, then."

"I refuse," Milias repeated, obviously flustered and slightly disturbed at his straightforward attitude.

Woolf drew back and turned to regard Flit, Dique and Emily. "So anyway, what are these kids doing aboard the _Diva_? Since when was this a daycare center?"

"Hey," Flit gritted his teeth. "I'm not a child."

"They're children from Nora," Largan explained. "We were suddenly attacked by the UE, and so we let them aboard."

Woolf frowned, "So we panicked and ran. Ah, I see."

"But they're not ordinary children," Largan continued, floating out of his seat, "Emily is the chief mechanic's granddaughter, and Flit here is the first human to destroy _three_ enemy machines, and survive against a Zedas after that."

"With no cameras," Emily added with a touch of pride.

"What?" Woolf turned a predatory glare on Flit and locked gazes with him.

Flit felt suddenly nervous and looked away. _It was really Yurin who did most of those things. And it was four mobile suits…_

"That joke's not funny," Woolf said with a careless smile. He started for the door.

"It's true," Dique and Emily protested.

"Well, I defeated one on my own without help," Flit muttered.

Stopping by the door, Woolf placed his fingers to his temples. "Everything's been crazy since I woke up from healing sleep," he closed his eyes and smiled, as if humoring everyone. "What's going on?" He said to himself after a moment, as if the explanations supplied to him were not credible.

"We were ordered aboard this ship at Nora," Adams said, scowling. "If you want, you can ask the details from Captain Grodek-

-Grodek?" Woolf asked, turning around to look at Adams. "Who's that, when did we get a new captain?"

Woolf turned back and put up a hand, "No, don't answer that." He opened the door and walked into the hall. "I'll get the answers from this Grodek guy myself." The door slid shut noiselessly, leaving everyone to stare awkwardly.

"What's with that guy?" Flit asked Largan.

"He's Woolf Enneacle," Dique insisted. "He has video game characters based off of him. Haven't you ever played Star Wolf?"

"Never heard of it," Flit admitted, "Video games are a waste of time, Dique."

"He's a weird guy," Largan said, looking down at Flit. "Once there was nobody left for him to beat in a mock battle or race, he announced he was joining the Federation forces and became an ace pilot. Some call him the White Wolf."

Flit sucked in his cheeks, "Is he really that famous?" _I'd never heard of him.  
_

* * *

Workers crawled all over the _Diva's _sleek, new mobile suit hanger, looking to Flit like a bunch of ants, particularly the ones inspecting the AGE Builder. Typing away memo notes on Haro, who occasionally whined and tried to bounce away, Flit sat on the catwalk in front of the AGE-1 Gundam. Freshly repaired after being placed inside the Builder, the Gundam looked as new as when Flit took it out of the burning hanger.

Emily sat nearby, like she often used to since Flit begun building the Gundam. She had never been much help, but Flit enjoyed her company. She had always been running around trying to help everyone as they worked, with Vargas screaming at her to get out of the way, so she wouldn't get hurt.

Speaking of a yelling Vargas, Flit glanced over to see Dique haranguing the poor old man by the head of Largan's red Genoace.

"My grandpa will be fine," Emily assured Flit, "He has a lot of patience."

"Hey, everybody working hard in here?" A familiar voice called from an opening door.

Emily and Flit scowled as Woolf's cocky face appeared over the catwalk. He flipped easily over the handrail and landed feet-first between the two, arms crossed as he stared up at the Gundam with an approving smile.

"So this is my new mobile suit," Woolf said to himself, "Looks good, I like it."

"No," Flit said firmly. Yurin being the genius behind his UE kills or not, this dog was _not _touching the AGE-1. "This is _my _mobile suit. It's called the Gundam AGE-1."

Woolf puffed out a patient sigh and smiled, "Oh I see, then if that's it, I'll take it from you."

"What?!" Flit cried, standing up with clinched fists.

Woolf refused to turn around, putting his hands in his pockets. "Do you know what they call me?" He asked quietly.

"The White Wolf," suggested Flit.

"That's right," Woolf spun around with a smile, "so I get the white mobile suit."

"So in other words, this Gundam is my machine," He swept his hand as if wiping Flit off the platform, then put on his most dashing grin and pointed his thumb at his head.

"I'm asking how you can do that," Flit snapped, raising a fist. "The Gundam is my property."

Smiling, Woolf turned away and closed his eyes smugly, "Because I'm the commander of the ship's mobile suit forces."

"But the AGE-1 isn't a military weapon. The Asuno Family owns it," Flit raged.

Emily put a calming hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Flit, stop, you're pitching a tantrum."

"Listen kid," Woolf said, digging a finger into one of his hair's ears, "if this machine is aboard the _Diva_, I get to do whatever I want with it. I mean, you're not even a commissioned pilot, Flint."

"That's _Flit._"

Woolf frowned and looked down at his fingers, "Flit. Wow, your manliness factor just went down by four. Flint's your new nickname."

"I don't want a nickname, and I _am _a pilot," Flit shot back without thinking. "I-I did destroy a Gafran, and helped to take out three others."

"Listen," Woolf chuckled, pointing a finger at Flit while tossing his bangs, "I'll accept you as a rookie pilot if you accept your nickname. All pilots have one, though few are as cool as mine."

"Largan Drace doesn't have one," Emily supplied to a seething Flit.

"Oh, that's because Drace is an awesome name," Woolf replied. "One of the legendary hero aces of the past was a Drace, so Largan doesn't need one. Nor does he deserve one, considering I've never heard any stories about his fighting prowess. And I've heard of all the good pilots, who I've beaten at least once, of course."

"Wait, who said you were commander?" Flit asked, feeling a bead of sweat form on his brow. _I won't let some jock with a bestiality hair complex take the Gundam after surviving Nora and the Zedas. _

"Captain Grodek. Just now, actually," Woolf replied with a grin. "Captain Grodek appointed me to the position himself," Woolf saluted, as if receiving the order from Grodek at that moment. He opened his eyes and batted his bangs with his hand, "Of course it was only natural considering my abilities."

"Not a good choice," Emily deadpanned, while looking down concerned at Flit, who was squatting on the floor, head in his hands.

"I'm ruined," she heard him whimper.

"You're finished, punk," Haro said, flapping over Flit. "Finished!"

Emily casually stepped in and kicked the green sphere away, while Woolf looked on rubbing his neck with a curious look.

"What the heck was that thing?"

"A perverted toy Flit made. It spends half its time hitting on Ms. Milias and video-taping channel 69."

"Oh," Woolf's ears perked up, and Emily could have sworn one of those ear-styled tuffs of hair twitched. "sounds like my kind of toy. Is it any good at seducing Millie?"

"Not even close, Romeo," Emily said, looking away, thoroughly disturbed.

"So the Gundam is mine, got it?" Woolf said, addressing Flit again.

Flit's head shot up, "No I don't."

"You're not satisfied?" Woolf asked with a frown.

"Of course not!"

Woolf's eyes grew feral and stepped forward with a grin, "If that's how you feel, then let's compete for it!"

"Compete?" Flit asked in surprise.

"That's right, you and I will get in our MS and have a mock battle."

"Hold on Flit," Emily said, rushing up behind him, "Why do you even care who pilots the Gundam? You aren't going to become a soldier." _I'll lose him for sure if he does, _Emily thought desperately.

"If I win, I get the Gundam," Woolf said proudly, as if it had already happened, "and if by some bizarre chance I lose, I'll give up on it. Well?"

_Wait, if Flit accepts, then Woolf will get the AGE-1, and Flit will stop thinking about piloting, _Emily theorized. _Go on, Flit. Show him you're a man. Accept._

"The Gundam is not a toy," Flit exploded.

"I know," Woolf said, leaning down in Flit's face, "It's a weapon."

"What'll it be? If you like, you can admit defeat right now."

"Fine." Emily pushed between Flit and Woolf, who looked about ready to come to blows. "We'll take you on."

"Hahah," Woolf laughed, "the girl seems to have more guts that you do. So what'll it be, kid?"

Flit rushed around Emily, "Okay, I accept your challenge."

"Then it's settled," Woolf said, smiling wickedly, his eyes flashing.

* * *

"Deploying mobile suit catapults," Onette Cory's voice called over the comm. as the _Diva's _hanger doors ponderously opened on the front of the arrow-shaped ship. "Gundam, you're clear to launch first, then the Genoace Custom."

"Is this really a good idea, Captain?" Milias asked.

"It'll be good training," Grodek muttered tersely, arms crossed.

Milias sighed and nodded for Cory to continue the launch. Why was Grodek in such a bad mood today?

"Gundam is in the catapult and linked up to our launch system," Cory said, "Synchrotron scan activate. Good, all systems normal."

* * *

_This isn't how I planned on things to turn out,_ Flit thought. His mind flashed back to minutes before, standing just outside the pilot's locker room before heading in.

Yurin had heard about the duel (apparently Woolf saw no problem in publicizing it as much as possible) and came to see him off.

"I know you'll do well Flit," she said, stopping beside him. "You have a lot of hidden talent."

"Yurin," Flit said with surprise. "I looked all over the place, but no one knew where you were." He smiled with relief. "Okay, I need your help. Can you go in the Gundam with me and help beat that cocky guy? With your power, we can nail hits before he gets off a shot."

Yurin frowned and looked away. "…No…I don't want to do that," she said quietly, hands behind her back.

"But, but I need you to help me win. I'm nothing without you. It was all you back at Nora."

"I know Flit," Yurin said, turning to face him with her deep blue eyes, "But I can't help you this time."

"But why? Don't you want to help we win?"

"You need to learn to rely on your own talents without me guiding you," Yurin replied evenly. "I'd think you understood that using me is not much better than cheating Woolf out of a fair battle."

"But, but I need to keep him from taking the AGE-1 away," Flit pleaded, going over to put a hand on Yurin's right hand. "I have to keep it; after all that I have been through, losing it now would be the end of all I've fought for."

Yurin pulled her hand away, eyes flashing indignantly. She closed her eyes and pushed past Flit, sailing by him. "I thought you considered me something more than some _accessory _you can just bring along with you when you feel like it," Yurin said sadly as she passed.

"Wait, no. That isn't what I want," Flit cried, reaching out for her. "Yurin!"

"Just don't lose," Yurin called back, half-heartedly. "I'll, I will watch the fight from the Mess Hall's monitor with everyone else."

"But how do you expect me to fight like you?" Flit pleaded.

Yurin tilted her head, "Just stay focused."

"This isn't going to work, Yurin," Flit thought as the Gundam sailed into the space with a jerk, knocking him out of his revere. He grunted and held on as the Gundam launched into space.

Not far behind, Woolf's white Genoace Custom soared after him.

_At least this isn't a battle against Gafrans.  
_

* * *

"Hm, this could go badly for Flit," Vargas grunted in the Mess Hall beside Emily.

"Do you really not think he can win, Grandpa?"

"He will probably lose," a dark haired girl said from behind Emily.

She whirled around to find the lovely Yurin L'Ciel frowning at her.

"You again," Emily muttered pushing off to the other girl. "come with me," she grabbed Yurin by the shoulder and dragged her into a side room, ignoring the looks everyone else inside the packed hall.

"What's wrong?" Yurin asked with a worried frown. "You don't believe he can win. I can feel it."

"Listen," Emily said, pressing a fist to her chest, "I wanted him to lose, but sitting there watching him go, well, I love Flit, and want what's best for him. He loves the Gundam, losing it would be too much after what happened at Nora."

"So I've decided to root for him," Emily said with a determined frown. "You of all people should be trying to as well, especially since it was you who got him so fired up about fighting. Yet it's you who callously has no trust in him and predicts his loss."

Yurin clasped her hands together in front of her with what Emily took for embarrassment. "I believe in Flit. But I know he has much to learn. Even if he loses, I'll be there to comfort him, and I know he will grow from it without it ruining him."

Emily bit back a hiss, "you should be ashamed to say you care about him. If you really loved him, you would have gone out there and helped him fight with those freak powers you bragged about," Emily whirled about and opened the door. "He probably resents you for that."

Yurin took a step back, then closed her eyes and concentrated, "Even so, you know that Flit doesn't hold any romantic feelings for you. To him, you are like a sister, not a girlfriend."

Emily ground her teeth, "There is no way for you to know that!"

Yurin closed her eyes again, and shook her head, "No, I can sense it. You know what I just said is true."

"Just because you have those bizarre abilities doesn't mean you should be allowed to take advantage of them, you hex," Emily shouted, "Don't come back in here." She rushed into the Mess Hall, the door slid behind her, leaving Yurin L'Ciel alone in the storeroom.

"I," Yurin looked down at the floor, then closed her eyes, "Don't want to take advantage."

* * *

"This will be a mock battle with these marker shots," Woolf reminded Flit over the comm., his Genoace raising its gun arm. "The time limit is thirty minutes. The computer shuts down your mobile suit once it detects too many hits from the marker. The one who deals the most damage wins." Woolf spun his suit around, "3…"

Flit spun the Gundam away from Woolf, beads of sweat breaking off his face with the spin and collecting in droplets against his helmet's visor. _If I don't win, I lose what the UE couldn't take at Nora. And I'll impress Yurin. She believes I can win on my own. So I will, just like with the first Gafran._

"1...START!" Woolf shouted.

"Go, Gundam" Flit screamed winging around with the help of the new foot boosters, the mobility and speed of his turn surprised Flit and the Gundam sailed down and away from several of Woolf's shots, one of which graced the Gundam's shoulder armor.

"It's mobility before was nothing compared this," Flit shouted, realizing that all his experience until now was useless. "Good," he told himself, taking a deep breath. "I'm not handicapped with bad maneuverability now."

The Genoace, a white comet, dashed passed, firing a shot right into the AGE-1's chest armor, splattering it with pink paint. Inside, Flit put his foot to the accelerator as he screamed in pain, electrical currents rushing through his body.

"What was that?" Flit shrieked through the comm., angry and surprised.

"I forgot to mention, being hit results in a slight electrical shock."

"Idiot," Flit snapped, firing a burst of shots at Woolf's Genoace. "Why would you do something so stupid? You call that 'slight'?"

Woolf elegantly soared through the shots, "Punishment for sucking you could say," he replied, squeezing off an export blast that nailed the Gundam's right leg.

"What's wrong, you're aims off," Woolf chided, somersaulting around Flit's next attacks like the Gafran had done.

"Talking down to me," Flit growled, checking the power gauge, "Good, this thing has nearly five times the power as the DODS rifle." He boosted at the Genoace, which jumped over him, twisting out of Flit's burst of fire, returning the blow right into the Gundam's rear.

"Grr," Flit watched as the damage indicator for the AGE-1 lit up again. "Why is my aim so bad?" He darted up, then down and up again, trying his best to imitate the Zedas and its dizzying hurricane of movements.

Three more shots lashed out, one striking the Gundam's chest again, the other two slamming into its shoulder. Inside, Flit screamed as the electricity surged up his body, breaking concentration.

"How, I was moving faster that time."

"If you don't know where you are going next, you can bet you'll get nailed for sure," Woolf laughed. "The first thing I learned as a newbie was to do was hit randomly flying targets."

The Genoace flashed off in a white blur of exhaust, Flit whipped through the vapor trial, trying desperately to aim. Why weren't crosshairs allowed in the stupid mock battle anyway?

* * *

"He's going to lose before he even gets a hit in," Dique complained to Vargas as the two stood just in front of the viewscreen.

"That's the White Wolf for you! Not some alien," one of the workers said.

"I was a gunner in the battle, I saw how Flit took out a Gafran with no main camera," another replied, "go Flit!"

"Don't be intimidated," cheered Emily, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.

Sighing, Vargas went over to the wall and pressed the comm., "Flit, what are you doing? You have to watch his movements."

Everyone gasped and cheered as the Genoace rushed behind an asteroid, circling expertly around to ambush the Gundam as it began to circle the space rock.

"Ha, he sure is a novice," one man called, "He must never have watched pilots in the Prix battling the Sargo or Midguard Arenas!"

"He's toast if Woolf pulls off what he did at Megamosh," a woman in a perfectly pressed pink uniform smirked.

* * *

"Watch his movements," Flit repeated, staring resolutely at Woolf's deft maneuvering as he jumped from one end of the viewscreen to another like an insect.

"You can't win a fight just by watching," Woolf called, exhaust firing from its feet and backpack as the Genoace rocketed down through two of Flit's shots, dropping in behind to pull off a pair of its own.

Inside his cockpit, Woolf stared in disbelief as the Gundam darted out of the shot's paths at the last second, hurled up above and fired a salvo of blasts.

Woolf swung the Genoace away, his face growing panicked he spun the Genoace around and around, narrowly saving its shoulders from taking damage. One shot struck home on its arm, sending Woolf colliding against an asteroid as he momentarily lost control due to the electrical shock.

"Yes!" Flit cried, watching as the damage indicator for the Genoace lit up its arm and backpack.

Flit aimed and fired again, snagging the Genoace's hip. "Hit number three," Flit triumphed, his confidence growing.

"A lucky shot," Woolf said, shaking his head, "but at least you weren't _all _talk," he whirled around and arched toward the Gundam, firing a barrage of blasts, "It's time for me to get serious."

* * *

"Something is wrong," Yurin thought aloud, her head snapping up. She sat in a darkened storage room filled with dry goods, curled up in a ball. Outside, she felt the movements of the mobile suits, and wondered if becoming a pilot had been the answer for her.

It was true, with her special sense, she could have easily become someone like Woolf.

"But," she hurried out of her hiding spot her fight with Emily had sent her, and crept into the Mess. "Flit is in real danger." The battle before her looked like those she saw all over the many bars and restaurants, with the crowd excitedly cheering Woolf's name, as they always had.

"Woolf isn't a bad man," Yurin thought. She saw Flit kick Woolf into an asteroid and fire, striking its leg, everyone shouted and began to pump their fists. When Woolf darted away, Yurin saw the bright, orange speck of the planet Mars, so far away.

"Everyone's souls, receive the righteous fury of the unavenged dead," a voice shouted across the cosmos. She heard it clearly.

Yurin floated back as she stared at that twinkling malevolent light. A chill went up her spine.

* * *

"What?" Milias turned to look out at the battle, her spine tingling. "Captain, don't you think Flit and Woolf are getting too far out?"

Grodek did not reply, but merely sat at his chair, an almost worried look on his face.

Onette shrugged, "Well, we can't see them clearly here, but the magnifier works just fine."

"It's not about viewing ease," Milias said quickly, surprised at the excitement in her voice.

She looked back at the screen, just as the dueling machines vanished from sight.

* * *

"What the hell!?" Woolf shouted, boosting back beside Flit, who's own machine floated as if in a daze.

"An alien battleship," Flit breathed, staring in open-mouthed awe at the colossal orange spacecraft looming over them.

The machine's polished surface reflected violet light from vent-like engine blocks, similar to the Zedas, with three gigantic circular pieces of the ship each connecting a black spear-shaped section to the vessels central core. A pair of Gafrans sailed down on their lofty dragon wings, the engines looking like a violet sun at their backs.

"Duel's over," Woolf called hurriedly over the comm., his face grim. "Into the debris field," he ordered, grabbing the Gundam and taking them both behind a large asteroid.

"So that's why the Federation never finds them on patrol," Flit realized, growing frustrated. "they have cloaking devices!"

"More like a field of cloaking, judgind by how it just popped up on our viewscreens." Woolf said, scanning his sensors, "Kid, I'm sending in a request for reinforcements. If they catch my signal, get ready to rumble."

"But we have no weapons that can do any harm."

"Right, so remember to stay _real _quiet."

* * *

"What?" Milias, Edward, and Onette shrieked at once after hearing Woolf's message.

"I always suspected they had a trick up their sleeve," Lino said, glancing worriedly at the blank radar.

"But to think it would be something like a cloaking field," Adams said, wiping a bead of sweat off his brow, "Just what kind of advanced monsters are these UE?"

"That doesn't matter right now," Milias said, turning toward the still silent Grodek. "Captain, now is the time to recall those two."

"I can't imagine that Command wasn't aware of this," Adams broke in, speaking to Grodek.

"Command suspected this was how they snuck around our patrols effortlessly," Grodek said, looking up. "But until now, we never had such a golden chance to test the theory. "Milias, have Vargas send out the DODS rifle and spray gun for Flit and Woolf."

"We shouldn't recall them?" Milias asked, brow furrowed, "Captain, this could be a crisis, especially with the refugees behind us."

"It's because of the refugees I am giving these orders," Grodek replied quickly, turning to face her with a lecturer's face, "if that ship attacks, we will at least know from what direction, so long as our men are on the inside."

After a moment, Adams whirled around in his seat, "Captain Grodek, you knew the alien vessel was out there, didn't you."

"I suspected something was shadowing us ever since we left Nora," Grodek responded. "That was why I humored Woolf's duel for the Gundam, even though I had ordered him to use it for his own personal unit."

"You did?" Milias asked in surprise.

"Of course, Milias," Grodek said, "You don't think I wanted a boy like Flit fighting the UE did you? Like some tool?"

"Well," Milias hung her head. "I apologize, Sir. I misjudged you."

"Don't worry about it," Grodek said curtly, "You were only doing what was right. Cory, Milias, I want both of you tracking all inbound signals on all frequency levels and rout them to my console. Let's see if we can't learn how these aliens communicate."

"But how do we know that's what they are up to?" Cory asked.

"They haven't attacked yet," Grodek replied simply. "If they desired to, we would all be dead. I cannot think of any other reason for them to stop as they have, until privy to their ship's functions and condition."

"I'll get right on it," Milias replied.

* * *

**Vagan (UE) Fa Bose class battleship,****_ Splinter._**

"We appear to have some pesky Federation suits hiding within range of the umbrella," A tight-lipped, prim officer said from behind the ship's commander, who stood over the bridge crew as they worked at their tiered consoles beneath the commander's podium.

Geera Zoi nodded absently, his small, hateful blue eyes glued to the holoscreen in front of him. "I dispatched a Gafran squadron," the subaltern said in his usual clipped tone. "I assume that was sufficient. However, we should destroy the enemy ship for good measure."

Geera raised a hand, causing the humbled subordinate to shrink back a step.

"It does not matter. Shut off the umbrella, Technician. I want a clear signal for the broadcast from the Temple. We must also make our report to An Grams-sama."

"But-but they will have full view of us," stammered the subaltern.

"Nixean McArver," Commander Geera Zoi said loudly, "Must I turn around and show my face to you? If so, it will be the last face you see."

Geera felt a twinge of pleasure as Nixean bowed to the floor respectfully. "I offer up my humblest apologies."

"The broadcast is up, Geera-sama," a technician called from his post on the next to highest tier. "Umbrella down. We are now within enemy sensor and visual range."

* * *

**Federation Battleship, ****_Diva._**

The bridge crew all leaned toward the viewport as a titanic battleship, flame-orange on black, slowly materialized before their eyes in a tracery of blue lines. Cory rose from her seat and drifted back, whilst Adams and Lino began scanning the monstrosity feverously.

"Ships like that," Adams said in an awestruck daze, "If these monsters have more of those things, why are we still alive? They could lay waste to a fleet of _Darwins_."

"I cannot scan it," Lino reported, his voice rising. "Something is blocking it."

"They are advanced beyond what the _Diva _can handle," Grodek said. "Begin moving us slowly away; we will try to gain space." He narrowed his eyes, "Obviously, they brought down the cloaking device because it causes severe interference with transmissions."

"Yes, we are picking up a faint signal," Milias confirmed, "routing it to you now."

* * *

**Mars Sphere, Vagan colony Second Moon, Temple of Fire courtyard**

Zara Dolada, Zoroaster, the Sun Priest, spread his arms wide to encompass the multitude of people spread out in the massive courtyard. So many and so far and wide that it was almost impossible to see the beginnings of buildings in the distance.

High above them, standing on the cream-colored marble of the Temple of Fire's entrance, Zara wore an off-white cowl with an ornate image of the colony in which they stood, Second Moon, the reddish core of what had once been the moon known as Deimos. White cloth covered his ears and cheeks, attached to a golden half ring that sat upon his ears and wrapped around the back of his head. The wind rose and caused his robes to billow wildly.

Behind him, the gigantic opening to the vast Temple of Fire, built of imposing cream marble, towered on high, the top of the building's archway graced with a beautiful stain glass forming the shape of Vagan's insignia, a red eye, with a single blue star piercing it from above on a violet background.

As the yellow and crimson tapestries billowed in the wind on the walls on either side of the archway, a green-tinted holograph of Zoroaster Zara flickered to life in a carefully crafted display of a thousand fires swirling together into a human shape. As the holographic ashes rained down from his newly conjured image, Zara began to speak in a loud, impassioned voice.

"Fellow prisoners of the Mars Sphere, trapped in this hell of burning dust and violent storms, I bring you news of hope today, on the anniversary of our journey here. Overburdened with a fastly growing population, the evil race of the Earth Sphere ripped us from our homes and guided us here with the sweet enticements of a second blue, clean, pure world. Promises with sweet piquancy, our fathers fell into the jaws of this trap. Our fates were then sealed here as we learned the bitter taste."

"They betrayed us, they stabbed us in the back, and took what hope we had to recover and heal and dashed it against the rocks, leaving us at the mercy of Mars' terrible wrath. He, the spirit of Mars, demands we leave this place, to seek our old home. But we were unable to do so, and so we suffer this malady caused by the Earthrace. But our fathers found hope, for the star Vega sent us a piece of the saving technology the hated Earthrace ripped from us. Alone this was not enough, but the pure star sent the very soul of virtue, the Incarnation of the Sun, EZELCANT-SAMA," he screamed to the false clouds above, tearing at his headdress. "He came to us and saved the people trapped here, and together with our fathers we hurled the hated Earthrace from Mars and rebuilt the shattered moon Deimos into a haven, Second Moon."

"With the evil people of Earth destroyed from our sight, in the confines of Second Moon, we were born, and now stand, waiting to die as the storms below rage against us with the waxing and waning of Mars' wrath!"

"But the night is soon coming to its end. Dawn is upon the horizon!" Zara threw his arms toward the horizon, sending the crowd rustling with a susurrus as they turned to look. "The light is coming to cast the darkness away! Feel it reach into your hearts, take these words I am about to speak to your vary souls!"

"People of Vagan, the hour of our exodus is nigh!" He raised his arms slowly, watching the crowd raise up their own arms, their cries shaking the temple. "Rejoice! For soon, our savior Ezelcant shall exchanged for us the barren, dried desert of Mars, for a world of pure water, blue as the flickering flame of Vega's light!"

"Rejoice! No longer shall we suffer! The hour of our return to the Earth sphere is at the door, when we shall reveal that we are not dead! The people of the Earth cannot dare deny us our right to live as human beings," He held his hands up high, to the pale clouds, to the megalithic red globe of Mars' parched surface dominating the sky, and higher, higher than that, toward the far away cobalt flame of Vega.

"And if they do deny us," Zoroaster Zara warned. "But Vega's spirit, knowing we may yet be forced to do battle against the people who forsook us as their brethren mankind, shown down its clean rays, and interceded with Mars on our behalf. She forced Mars to grant us his power of war, and so he relented and let Vega do her work. Unto you, people of Vagan, be you wealthy or poor, ordinary, or talented, alive or dying, a power has been placed among you. A special sense. A unique tingling that is not touch, thought that is not sound. A vision that is not sight. You possess this power of the X, which Vega strove with Mars to bestow on you. With it, you can achieve great things! We, the priests seek those blessed with the power of Mars by Vega's touch, day and night."

"Come!" He ushered them hurriedly with his hands, gesturing toward the temple entrance, "those of you bearing this blessing, rise up now and lend us your power! Ezelcant needs you all, Vega's gift cannot be forsaken! For the future of our children, for those locked in sleep till the completion of our exodus, lend us your power!" He spread his arms and clasped them, as if holding every hand in the crowd of thousands. "By Vega's saving light, everyone's souls, receive the righteous fury of the unavenged dead!"

"For Eden, for our children, Long…Live…LORD…EZELCANT!" He raised his hands again, this time fire surrounded his holograph, burning brighter and brighter, trailing up toward the celestial body of Mars looming in the sky. The fire burned away his image, and Zoroaster Zara, the Sun Priest, bowed his head in thanks and solemnly reinterred the temple, ashes trickling down in his wake like a steady snowfall.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Vagan (UE) ****_FA Bose class _****battleship****_, Splinter_**

**"**All hail Lord Ezelcant," Geera said solemnly. The purple rimmed holoscreen winked out of existence with a bprh, and he turned to another one showing the pair of mobile suits watching like flies down below amongst the asteroids.

"Send the Gafrans after them. They shall return to us once they succeed in wiping them out," Geera said acidly, to McArver. "Recloak and take us to Base. We must make certain our request for reinforcements is untapped by our Federation friends."

"I say we cannot trust them to sit idle while we return to Earth," Nixean said, tersely, hands respectfully behind his back.

"Neither do I. Things will get difficult from here on out," he said as the cloak went up. "By Vega's light…"

* * *

"Um," Flit said, as the ship began to disappear. "They're leaving, but the Gafrans are still circling."

"A bunch of sharks are they?" Woolf said with a grin.

"Sharks?"

"Ocean predators on Earth," Woolf replied, "Let's take them out with that new rifle I heard Dique squealing about."

"It's here," Flit replied, tearing open a small asteroid. The dummy balloon popped, revealing the DODS rifle, with its pair of beam sabers attached.

Two of the Gafrans darted down at them, unleashing a barrage of fire. Flit instinctively dodged and fired back with the rifle, only to have the beam sail wide. His second shot clipped the wing of the other UE suit, but by then the first was on him, beam sabers crossed to cut him in half.

Woolf's Genoace flashed over and grabbed the Gundam, yanking it away from certain doom as the Gafran slashed past. The asteroid behind which Flit and Woolf were hiding exploded in a saffron volley of firepower from the two remaining UE.

"Ahhhh," Flit screamed, firing at one, taking off its arm, but then one of the closer Gafrans kicked him back, firing its beam machinegun and charging its torso cannon, while the second harassed Woolf's nimble MS.

"That's it," Woolf shouted over the comm., "Sheesh, he doesn't have a clue how to aim."

Flit retreated behind another asteroid with Woolf, and the four enemy UE suits began circling them again.

"Give me that," Woolf snapped, the Genoace grabbing the DODS from the Gundam's hand. It shot off before Flit hardly knew what happened.

"Hey," Flit complained, but stopped and darted away from the Gafran with the severed arm as it roared in to fire its torso cannon.

Woolf zigzagged around the tail cannon blasts, nimbly somersaulting around asteroids as it went. The Genoace raised the DODS and fired, spearing his first victim. The Gafran exploded in a flash of light. The other Gafran charged, unleashing a wave of fire from all its beam weapons.

In a white blur, the Genoace was around the barrage and slamming the Gafran aside, then raised the rifle as the beam bayonets ignited with a flash of pink light. The Gafran sailed back, missing a right wing and arm, with a half melted shoulder and chest armor glowing at the edges.

Flit rushed passed then, screaming as the two other UE suits chased the Gundam, hurling a shower of machinegun fire. Woolf darted into the path of the second Gafran, shooting off its head. The machine went limp and detonated in a plume of red flame an instant later, painting the Genoace's visor a hideous crimson as it turned to face the remaining Gafrans.

"Who's next?" Woolf asked, raising the bayonets. "What? Scared now that I'm on even terms with you?"

The two Gafrans wheeled about and sailed off in the direction of the ship. Woolf leveled off the rifle and took out one with a flurry of three shots, the second piercing the Gafran right in the lower back, cutting it in two. The machine floundered, its hands clawing at nothing, then glowing seams appeared in the armor and it began to burn away like a piece of paper.

"That's one awesome weapon you made. I've gotta hand it to you, Flint." Woolf said, dropping down beside Flit. "When we get back, how's about working up some new beam sabers for the Genoace?"

Flit nodded uncertainly. He glanced back at the _Diva_, which had retreated some distance. He looked around, but the alien mothership was nowhere in sight. "I guess everyone will laugh at me when I get back. You showed me how bad a pilot I am."

"Don't be hard on yourself," Woolf laughed, "You're mechanic skills more than make up for it," he leaned into the chat screen, "Just make sure to work on those beam sabers, got it?"

* * *

**Federation battleship, ****_Diva_**

"They left, but we couldn't even decipher what the message meant," Milias sighed.

"I guess I really flunked out on this one," Cory added. "I'm a good code-breaker, but that one is beyond me."

"I'll work on it," Grodek said, getting up from his captain's chair. "I'll be in my office."

Grodek hurried from the bridge and returned to his room, opening the door and closing it quickly, locking it behind him. He took out his key and turned on his laptop, inserting the information from the bridge.

A moment later, Zara's historic speech rang in his ears as the image of the red planet hung in the background from where the footage was being taken for all the public of Vagan to see.

"Hm," Grodek grunted. "So, Fonroid, you didn't tell me _all _you knew, after all. So Command's data files are more strictly secure than I thought. I'm beginning to understand who the UE are."


	5. Chapter 5 Star's Harbinger

**_Chapter Five Star's Harbinger_**

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Colony Fardain**

"This is Fardain Tradelane Control, you are clear for docking," a female voice called over Milias' earpiece. "Frigate _Diva,_ please proceed to pier number 127. Tugs have been dispatched to guide Nora's core to loading station C."

"Affirmative Operator," Milias replied as she watched yellow tug shuttles attaching their tow lines to the hulking rim of the Core. "Transferring control of Nora's core to you." She gave Adams a nod.

Moments later, the tow cables on the _Diva_ snapped off. Relieved of its burden, the ship sailed freely past the massive loading station, and its bustling lanes of hulking, rectangular  
cargo ships.

"Walt, watch out for that freighter, it's coming from the left."

"I see it," Walt replied, slowly halting the _Diva_ as the monstrous transport rose ponderously past the viewport, its massive form dwarfing the _Diva. _Orange warning lights flickered along its brown-grey hull, the yellow and black warning stripes lining hundreds of cargo bay doors nearly warn off. A faded tangerine colored logo adorned the side of the vessel's scratched hide, but it too was faded to illegibility.

After a moment the cargo ship passed by, its single, gigantic engine block nearly blinding the bridge crew with its white light. Everyone squinted, save Grodek, who were his protective glasses.

"Increase speed," Grodek said after a moment, his voice sounding slightly edgy.

"Is something wrong, Captain?" Largan asked, stepping into the bridge, stopping by Milias' seat.

"No, just a minor stop."

"I see," Largan straightened a bit. "Pardon me Captain, but what will be our orders once we reach Fardain?"

Grodek turned to Largan, his eyes thoughtful, "I will give most of the crew temporary shore leave. I'm sure all of you want to make sure your families are safe. As for you, Largan, I don't see you helping out anymore, so you are free to take a tour of the colony. So long as your leg can handle it."

"Of course," Largan said, looking over at Milias, "What will you do, Lieutenant?"

"I have some cousins on Nora I plan on seeing. You have your grandparents here on Fardain, don't you Largan?"

"Yes," Largan replied with a scowl, "But I'm not welcome."

* * *

"I'm sorry for pushing you into that duel, Flit," Emily said hesitantly as she floated in his sparse quarters. "I guess I wanted you to lose the Gundam so you would come back to Nora with me."

"I know," Flit said with a smile, fiddling with the AGE device. "I could tell when you greeted me in the hanger. It was obvious you were pouting, the way you clinched your fists and stood straight like a drill sergeant," he laughed.

"Oh," she asked, walking over to the bed.

She glanced at her new shoes, and decided she now appreciated magnetic footwear much, much more than before, since the magnet clamps now made it possible for her to walk even in the zero gravity of the ship.

Tentatively, she sat down on the bed next to him and leaned over to see what he was working on. She put a hand on his shoulder, "what is it? I thought we had already removed most of the plans from the device."

"We did," Flit said after a moment, bringing up the menu screen. Emily knew what he was going to do, and sighed heavily, shaking his shoulder. "Hold it Emily, stop it," Flit grinned, pulling away.

"You promised me you wouldn't pursue it any further," she giggled, grabbing his arm and pulling herself over to him as they began to float toward the back of the room, pushed by the air vent. "You have agonized over that stupid part of the AGE device since the day we met. You even admitted it was just a mystery no one can solve."

"I know I know," Flit insisted, blushing slightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed threateningly.

"I'm a second degree blackbelt, don't forget," she said with wicked playfulness.

"This time is different," he said. "Look," he brought up the menu and pressed the symbol neither he nor Emily understood, a simple figure that looked almost like a ball with an antenna. Emily called it a remote control symbol.

The device displayed a new menu featuring a host of complex symbols that didn't make sense once the remote button was pressed. The device would then bring up the options of pressing 'Program new command'_, '_No'_, _or the ever enigmatic, 'End circuit patrol'.

A warning signal always blared after Flit pressed either the first or last options, turning the green lettering on the device red from their usual passive green. If he continued fiddling after pressing the "New program" selection, Flit would eventually access a complicated combination of numbers, symbol equations, internal computer schematics, and a dizzying binary code all connecting into some kind of control panel (Flit guessed).

Pressing "End circuit patrol" activated a thirty second lockdown warning that sent up such a wailing at the last five seconds that on the first time, Emily and Flit were certain the AGE device would explode. Flit had eventually found a way to shut off the lockdown, only to have the device bring up an equally baffling diagram that vaguely resembled a communicator, which ultimately did state that the 'connecter was lost', and then shut down for several minutes while it 'searched for available terminals'.

Emily suggested it was probably the system for rewriting the AGE device, and so Flit had agreed meddling further would result in damaging it.

"Seriously, do you want to destroy it, without the device you can't work the Gundam or the AGE System."

"But look," Flit said, pointing at the screen. Emily looked and gazed at a new screen, this time, looking at the result from pressing the 'End circuit patrol'. This time the screen was blank, save for a flashing connecting icon. "It said a minute ago that it had found a signal," Flit said. He scowled. "Bah, you're right, I've wrestled with it for a whole two days and come to no solution."

Flit pushed her gently away and started for the door, "I can tell you're angry with me for being cooped up in here doing that, Emily." He turned back and grinned, "I can read you like a book, you know. Just like I know you are happy about the people of Nora being sent to Tordia."

Emily sighed and watched him depart. "If only you could," she said wistfully.

* * *

**Loading Station C**

"Lord Elfamel," a worker in stained overalls said with a bow. "I just got word from our Ear. FTC is docking the Norans here for 'unloading'."

"What," the man before the worker asked in a cold, sophisticated voice, "are they mad? Here?" He dropped a finger to the deck. "Tell me," his voice dropped several degrees in warmth, "who allowed this to happen?"

Dressed in an immaculate white business suit, with slicked back blonde hair with two prominent red dyed sideburns, Ract Elfamel stalked forward with the controlled attitude of a man of the higher class straining to control his temper.

"Who at FTC gave the order to unload all those refugees on _my _station?" He glanced out the window at the massive cylinder moving toward the central docking bay of Station C. "Nevermind that," he turned to his sweating subordinate, "we absolutely cannot afford to have millions of mice running around our facility at delicate time as this, Ahmadon."

Ract whirled around, his eyes growing wide with sudden alarm he rarely felt outside a mobile suit battle. "The _Diva's _not coming here is it," he asked, his eyes training on the arrow ship's twin engines trekking past a massive freighter.

"No My Lord," Ahmadon replied.

Ract felt a rush of adrenaline die away immediately. He refused to relax, however. "That saves me some time. Get me Angrazzo," Ract said, spreading a hand, "tell him to get as much of our 'special cargo' into the false trash containers within the next five minutes, I don't care if they have to damage half of it. And tell Mishic to start an assault on the Zalam base here. Cause a ruckus so loud no one will be able to move, even the Feddies."

"By your command, My Lord Elfamel," Ahmadon replied. "but what about Nora's refugees?"

Ract smiled benignly. "The best way to take care of a bunch of mice is to catch them yourself. Have our private forces volunteer to help the refugees find safe arrival and transportation to Fardain. Make sure they all end up in EUBA territory. Treat them well, and we may gain their support in the future. We don't want Boyage's gang getting their selfish hands on them. They'd cheat them out of what possessions they still have. We, the Knights of EUBA's ghost, will keep our fellow Spacenoids safe."

"Of course, My Lord."

* * *

**Colony Fardain Spaceport, pier 127, frigate _Diva_**

"It's the largest colony in the Earth Sphere, next to Viceroy," Dique said enthusiastically, reading from Haro's database.

"I thought that was you," Haro quipped slyly, giving Emily an electronic wink in the form of a flashing eye.

"It has an ancient history, being a battleground ever since the Gundam Fight days," Dique added. "Ah, I wonder why it is we can't break mobile suits apart with our bear fists these days? What happened to those types of martial artists?"

"I got a suggestion," Haro advised.

"What?" Dique asked.

"Activate my mirror function. I'm _sure_ you'll figure out what happened to those people."

"I here they have great food, and shopping centers," Dique said to Emily and Yurin, who sat eating their food in silence between Flit, who looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"Shopping centers?" Emily asked. "You mean a mall?"

"No," Yurin said, leaning in front of Flit, narrowly stopped himself from spearing her head, whichw as just over his potatoes. "Shopping Centers. They sell goods straight from the factories at a whole-sale price. Fardain is the industrial center for the Earth Sphere. The centers are gigantic, and have virtually _anything _you could possibly want, at any level of luxury and quality."

"You're pretty knowledgeable," Emily said, eyebrows raised. "How did you learn so much?" She leaned closer, Flit narrowly cutting off her ear by accident as he attempted to cut his steak.

"I studied whatever topics interested me," Yurin replied. "And I traveled and saw many sights you never see in your textbooks or on Nora. But be careful in Fardain. It may have a nice, enjoyable face. But there is another side, underneath the skin," she added darkly.

"Really," Emily asked, leaning even closer.

Flit sat up, tired of trying to eat from his plate with the two girls babbling over it. "Excuse me," Flit said, taking his plate out from under their noses and stalking away.

"What's his problem?" Yurin asked.

"I told you, he's dealing with a lot," Emily replied. "Try to be more sensitive."

"I know, but he didn't have to get up like that."

"That's just men. That's just men," Haro chimed enthusiastically.

Standing at the end of the viewing lounge, Flit watched the Colossal steel cylinder that was Fardain. Its copper-colored sides glittering as the sun majestically appeared, lighting the edges of the Earth beyond. The beauty should have spellbound any red blooded human being, but Flit's eyes stared blankly at the black space beyond the window, where only several stars shown.

Flit looked down at his fist, feeling as though he might draw blood.

The Gafrans roared in so fast he barely saw them, turned around and sent the Gundam hurtling away from their deft saber blows. Woolf's weak, pathetic Genoace unleashing a dooming series of blasts that annihilated them. A single Genoace. That was all Flit had to his kill list, a single Gafran, and a beautiful black-violet haired girl who thought he only wanted her for her powers and touch. What would Bruzar say of him now?

"I…"

"'Want to fight more'. Is that right?" A voice said behind him.

Flit's eyes widened and he turned around to see Woolf leaning against the wall around the corner, almost out of view. "Commander Woolf."

The man crossed his arms and turned to look with his canine eyes. Smiling; he stood up and walked toward Flit, "Combat's an unfortunate thing." He put a hand on his hips, "One taste of that excitement and a peaceful life can't satisfy you."

_I'm not a warmonger or an adrenaline junky who likes to be put on camera. Not like you. _"That's not it," Flit countered, raising the fist. He lowered it a second later, not sure what to say. "I…Just…"

Woolf sniffed at Flit's hair mischievously.

"Hey," Flit said, backing up, confused. "What was  
that for, you're not a real wolf."

"That's the scent of a man who's not interested in going back to peaceful little Tordia," Woolf replied coolly.

Emily glided around the corner, seeing Flit and Woolf, she stopped and went around the corner again, not sure what to say. She stopped to listen, once she heard Woolf speak, putting a finger to her chin. What was that man up to?

"That's wrong," Flit snapped, waving a hand. "I don't want to fight. I want to go live with Emily and Vargas, Dique and Yurin on Tordia, with everyone from my school, even if they hate me. But if the UE keep attacking, even Tordia won't be peaceful forever!"

"No. I'm not wrong. You want to fight."

"You wonder why people think you are full of yourself, Woolf? It is because you never listen to what people tell you!"

"Then why did you even get in the Gundam to start with? I got the story from Largan. You could have insisted on him piloting it. There was time."

"I..I felt like my mother was telling me to protect everyone with the Gundam, when she gave me the plans that day," Flit hung his head. "that's why I got in it, because I felt that she wanted me to do more than just build it."

"so I'm right, you aren't going to Tordia? Not that I care."

"Flit looked away. "I didn't say that. Emily hates the idea of me leaving, and so do I."

"What I'm really interested in is that AGE-1," Woolf said with a pointed finger at Flit, "if you're going to Tordia, I get to keep it after all."

Woolf turned to go, a smirk on his face. "and after I found the generosity to let you keep it. Enjoy your peaceful life swimming in the Tordia coral reefs."

Emily felt her face turn in a frown. She knew what Flit would say next. But she couldn't run away, even though she hated it. She watched as the boy she always knew began to fade quickly away.

Flit clinched his fists and stared down at the floor. He saw his mother die again. He saw the mocking visor of the first Gafran, his only real kill, turn half way around and stare over its shoulder mocking him.

Woolf pushed off the floor and sailed away.

A flash of violet light sent the Zedas past Flit, roaring up into the sky, then it was behind him, he almost jerked as he felt the old bruises start aching again. Then there was Bruzar, telling him there was a reason he had been spared from Orvan's disaster. Why Flit had been spared from Nora, while Bruzar had not.

Flit looked up, "The Gundam."

Woolf stopped and turned half way around, like the Gafran had.

Flit locked gazes with him, his eyes half-lidded, his will tightened and he threw off what trite plans he ever harbored of living a normal life. "the Gundam is mine. I will pilot it myself."

Woolf returned and laughed, winking as he stretched out a hand for Flit to shake, "that's right, I wouldn't have it any other way."

Flit reached out, Woolf grabbed and shook it wildly.

"That's it. From now on, we're gonna kick ass, got it?"

"Yes Sir," Flit said, his eyes flashing with determination. He grinned back at Woolf. Perhaps he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

Woolf waved a salute at Flit and pushed off, while Flit turned around and nearly bumped into Emily as he rounded the corner.

"Oh, sorry Emily," Flit said, passing by her. He had lots of work to do, preparing the Gundam for the next battle, whenever it happened.

Emily didn't reply, and hugged herself into a ball, letting herself drift into the open space of the observation room. She buried her head in her knees. Flit had passed by her a man matured far beyond his years by too many deaths. The pain of Orvan had finally hardened his heart as she feared it would. Flit's childhood was long over, and so were the relationships he forged there. Whether he chose her or not, Emily didn't care. The loving, gentle Flit was now gone.

And she would never really get him back. How far would this hatred for these aliens take him?

* * *

"I'm sure you understand why the Inspection Bureau has called you, Captain Grodek," the officer said over the transmission screen, his goatee giving him a strangely fish-like look, particularly with his massive nose.

"Whatever are you talking about?" Grodek asked politely in an innocent voice, smiling.

"Don't try and play dumb! You took control of the _Diva _without authorization from Command, and hacked military records to forge proof of your claim, in direct violation of nearly every military law! You will be placed under arrest upon arrival at Fardain. Your punishment will be decided by a court-marshal. A man of your talents, it is truly disappointing. You could have risen into the Yellow or Indigo Shirts at any time you wanted. Do you have anything to say?"

"No," Grodek said almost sheepishly, smiling.

The man on the other end tsked, and cut the transmission.

In the darkness of the _Diva's _second bridge, Grodek looked down in his chair, smiling, eyes hidden by his dark blue visor. "I must do whatever I can."

He took out his 'key' and placed it in a slot. Data script in red warning letters began appearing on the monitors as the virus took hold of FTC's mainframe, accompanied by a warning alarm.

Grodek waited several minutes, transferred the information to his key and left the room.

As Grodek departed, he did not notice Emily Amonde walking down the hall behind him. The girl slid into the second bridge, and the captain did not turn around to see the door slide shut noiselessly.

"Just what are you up to?" Emily asked herself, eyes wide as they reflected the flashing monitors of the second bridge. An alarm sounded threateningly. "What did he do to the system," Emily asked herself, rushing to the computer hub. "This is some of virus, right? If only I had some of Flit's knowledge, I might be able to do something."

The door hissed open, the light from the corridor beyond alerting Emily to the intruder. She whirled around, expecting Grodek to attack her. Instead, Haro's round silhouette floated in the corridor, ears flapping. The robot rushed in, the door shutting behind it.

"H-a-r-o, here to help," Haro cried, rushing to the terminal. "I'm connecting to the system now." The robot opened its mouth, letting a wireless connecter punch it into the hub. "Virus detected. Preparing to execute system restore measures."

"I guess you're useful for something," Emily commented, breathing a sigh of relief. "But you almost gave me a heart-attack, Haro."

"I have that effect on women. Haro, Haro."

* * *

On the bridge, the crew gave exclamations of surprise as their systems began to go haywire and shutdown.

"I can't access the hub," Edward complained, smacking the console.

"It's a new Sphere model, so it may be unstable," Lino supplied uncertainly.

"Quite possibly," Grodek said, moving onto the bridge. "I'm meeting with the Investigation Bureau in a few minutes to discuss the strange disappearance of the bridge crew, and Fonroid's fate. I'll bring the matter up with him, so we can get the _Diva _ready for our next mission, whatever that may be."

"In the meantime, none of you can do anything her, I'll look after the bridge. You can depart on leave. The citizens of Nora will be arriving at the harbor from Station C. I understand a local politician is footing the bill for their living expenses, so things should be orderly and less hectic than what I first thought it might be."

"I thought they were going to wait for transit to Tordia," Milias said, sounding confused.

Grodek's face darkened and he lowered his head. "I just received word minutes ago that UE forces destroyed it at the same time as Nora. There is no Colony Tordia."

"What?" Adams asked, his face shocked.

"I have family on Tordia," Milias gasped, feeling a knot in her throat. "What about the survivors?" She twisted in her chair, eyes trying to meet Grodek's.

The Captain looked up with a sorrowful expression, eyes filled with remorse, "I am sorry, Milias. But there were no signs of the lifepods. They found corpses boiled in the vented water when the vapor cloud ignited, but other than that there were only a handful who escaped."

"I…I think I will take that shore leave now," Milias said, getting up and drifting toward the door.

"That goes for all of you," Grodek said with a sharp tone, "Go and enjoy Fardain. Get your minds off this latest tragedy. Remember, we saved the people of Nora. The colony cylinder can be rebuilt. The people of Tordia won't get that chance."

As the crew filed out, Grodek punched the side of his chair monitor, cracking the protective covering. _It happened again. How many colonies are going to burn before these Martians are satisfied?_

* * *

**Mars Sphere, Second Moon**

"The dragons of the heavens, Mars and Vega, continue to strive for dominance! Their battle is raging, that is why the storms have increased two fold," the holographic form of the priest screamed from the Fire Temple rising high above the dusty, off-white streets of Second Moon's slums.

The people going about heeded the words of the priest, continuing their work in pious silence. The artificial Sun, which the people called by the name of the real star, Solar, trailed lazily in the sky.

After a time, the priest finished speaking and returned to the Temple, a colossal structure made of five towers fashioned in a ziggurat style, with bright beacons flickering at the peaks. The central building was a high, fortress-like building with parapets and merlons, all decorated in rich tapestries of green, red, and gold.

Unlike the bright, dusty world outside, the temple corridors were shrouded in shadow, with wall sconces of burning torches bringing small light at intervals. Vaulted ceilings mixed the echoes of footfalls and murmured prayers in a hallowed symphony. To Zoroaster Zara, it sounded holy and profound to his ears, perfect for keeping the masses transfixed on the faith.

He passed a statue of Ezelcant's noble figure, with hand outstretched in a wave, fire racing around a pair of pillars on either side. The crackle added to the echoes, creating an almost dirge-like sound. Zoroaster bowed to the image and hurried on.

"That concludes Geera Zoi's report and request for reinforcements," An Grams said at his side.

"Zoroaster?"

"I have nothing to say," the Sun Priest snapped. "How can I? When obviously, I have no means with which to grant it, a fool, Geera Zoi is."

Zara turned to a small stairway, barred by a pair of guards in Babylonian reminiscent helms, their hands resting on the buttes of two rifles. The Guards bowed and withdrew into two blackened alcoves, and Zara ushered An Grams up the steps after him with a gloved hand.

As they marched up the steps, feet clacking against the red stone, Zara continued his rant, "I'm beginning to think Geera forgets our ruinous condition here," Zara fumed. "We spent a hideous amount of time developing the Gafran models, and with our weak assembly lines, we were lucky to get out the five hundred units that we did. How many machines does he think we have to spare? Mechanisms don't spring out of the sand, fool."

"I understand that he has been running the operations smoothly," An Grams replied.

"It's just for revenge's sake," Zara snapped, cloak rustling as he whirled at the landing. He looked down at the image of Second Moon carved into the sandstone block beneath his feet. The sphere with almost muscle-like carvings surrounding an eye-like slit, the three pronged satellites on either side nearly connecting like a protective shell around the Vagan's home.

"We spent a lot of time on Second Moon, and it still can't hold our entire population, not without bringing down the quality of living to death camp levels."

An Grams glanced at the print, then back at Zara as he started up the next flight of stairs. "As commander of our defense forces, I of all people hate to see more Gafrans go. One hundred of them seems a bit much, but with Operation Blue Fall starting, we should be expecting it. The operation does call for that high number."

"I thought we wanted to replace the numbers with quality. We sent him those new Baqto units and that kneeless thing your goons dreamt up."

An Grams scowled. "The Defurse may be kneeless, but it is a powerful machine. And it is a mobile armor, not a mobile suit."

"As if it matters what you call it," Zara hissed, "It still costs us money, which we don't have," they entered a higher level of the temple, moving into a hall lined with dozens of pillars, all carved elaborately, with a ceiling resembling a jungle of vines and plants made of sandstone. "Our economy's stability depends on the Faith. I hate asking for more donations, especially in Ezelcant's name."

"It gets the job done," An Grams snorted. "Why should you care if Ezelcant disapproves of us practically cheating people of their hard earned scales?"

They both paused by a massive door, its sides decorated with a pair of vicious dragons strangely familiar to the Gafran, breathing fire forged of garnet, their eyes made of gigantic rubies the size of a man's head. Their teeth glittered with precious stones as the flames from the braziers on either side shot sparks toward the ceiling.

Zara glanced down at the green and gold carpet, putting a hand to the ornate door embossed with red metal, "Because _I,_ unlike you, have to deal with his angry tirades." Zara pushed the door wearily open and stepped into another world.

This room sported round light panels high above, with a metal floor and walls. An elevator with glowing green edges waited inside a transparent shaft. Twenty or so mechanical guards, each one looking very similar to a human-sized Gafran, encircled the door. Their visors lit up in a flash and their tail cannons trained on the two officials.

"Stand down," a strong, authoritative voice commanded. The machines slithered back and disappeared into a dark space in the room where the light did not show. "Well come on, I got rid of the guards for you," the voice said impatiently, as if talking to old friends. "Zara, what's taking you and the General so long?"

"Coming," Zara said, hurrying across the room to a tall figure standing to the side of the elevator.

The man looked to be in his late sixties, but his hair was still long and black, with only a few streaks of grey. His eyes burned with a fierceness that struck awe and terror in all who faced him. He had a beak-like nose and a proud, noble expression. His white tailcoat and red half cape stood out strongly against his violet shirt.

"Lord Ezelcant!" the two men cried, bowing down quickly a few paces in front of him.

"Enough," Ezelcant commanded, "I don't need such unneeded ceremony."

He stepped onto the elevator, motioning them to follow.

"I heard about Geera's request," Ezelcant said as Zara and An Grams filed after him. The elevator started up and sent them downward with a whoosh.

"I see," An Grams said, somewhat surprised by Ezelcant's easy behavior. It was his first time meeting the worshiped leader of Vagan. "Does this mean we are not to comply with his request, Your Excellency?"

"Of course not, fool," Zara snapped back at him. "It's true I disagree with him, but we cannot afford to have Operation Blue Fall fail. The result would be interplanetary war, and that means we must be ready to swoop in quickly and execute the second part of the plan before they can solidify a defense."

"We can hardly afford to lose more defense forces," Ezelcant admitted, stepping off the elevator almost before it stopped in front of a dark tunnel covered with glowing violet veins that illuminated the dark purple walls.

"But we have little choice. If Geera Zoi needs more reinforcements, then reinforcements he shall have. How did the Baqto's perform?"

"He has not used them," An Grams replied, looking down at the metal floor as they entered the tunnel. "He says he wants to save them for Operation Bee's Nest."

"Fardain," Ezelcant murmured wistfully, eyes almost tearing at the name. "Now that's a place I haven't seen for a long, long time. Is it still a slum?"

An Grams, bewildered by the shift in topic, glanced at Zara for help. "Why does it matter?" He asked the other man in his ear.

"Because it was his home, when he lived on the Earth Sphere as a child," Zara snapped, pushing away, "and show some respect," he hissed, "Or we will both lose our positions."

"No your Excellency," An Grams reported, straightening. "It is a bustling center of trade and commerce. Being at the center of Lagrange 1, it is the nexus of trade routes."

"The trade routes once made it the dumping ground for unwanted street urchins," Ezelcant muttered back painfully, "But, things change."

"I am also afraid to make a report of my own, Your Excellency," Zara said, "I must admit, I am very saddened to say it, but we have had very few viable volunteers from the speech the other day."

"I made one of my own before that and received incredible results," Ezelcant replied with a scowl, turning to look back at Zara, "whatever happened?"

"Oh, no no no no no," Zara said quickly, waving his hands, "a great deal joined the ranks of the military branch. But…those with the power of the X refrained from joining the cause. Many who joined were not compatible with the brainwave sensors."

"Upgrades for the sensors are on the way," An Grams said, folding one arm while the other gestured, "But that may take time, Your Excellency."

"They won't be necessary if we can avoid war," Ezelcant said. "But Geera won't be able to pull Blue Fall off if we do not show a powerful show of force," he broke off into a fit of violent coughing, and collapsed to the floor.

"Lord Ezelcant!" The two rushed to his side, and An Grams pulled out a white case, pressing a switch, sending a pill popping out.

"Get that away," Ezelcant replied with a voice steeped in agony. The Vagan Leader rose and straightened, his face wracked with obvious pain.

"Here," An Grams said, offering the case, "You can use some of mine. I was diagnosed last week, I understand it gets worse with years, I can't imagine your anguish, Your Excellency."

Ezelcant stared at the case then tossed it behind his back as he started walking again. "I don't want it."

An Grams caught the case nimbly and stared at Zara for help. "The pain is so bad that half the time patients die from the shock," he said hoarsely. "After so many years, he should be dead from it."

"The stories we concocted for the public are based on facts. He refuses the medicine, saying he will not use it until everyone else in Vagan has it at their disposal as well. His willpower is something to behold. He still breathes solely for us," Zara said reverently.

"But, but surely with his status it would be acceptable. We can't have him dying because of the radiation disease, just because he wants to be a good leader," An Grams pointed out.

"Zoroaster, General, has the weather cleared yet?"

Zara and An Grams winced as they hurried to catch up. "No, Lord Ezelcant."

"I see," Ezelcant put a finger to his brow, "What to do? So we cannot build new units?"

"No, Your-

-Stop it, after I don't know how many years of hearing that, it gets tiring. Just call me Ezelcant." The leader of the Vagan frowned sadly. He had become the supreme overlord of the people left at Mars, and yet had lost every friend doing it. Those who still felt they could call him Fezarl were either asleep or long dead.

"And I assume the engines for Second Moon were damaged by the magnetic storm?"

"Yes, once again, they are nearly inoperable," An Grams replied, lowering his head. "I am so sorry. But it looks like we won't be leaving any time soon."

"Don't say that," Ezelcant said, whirling around to put a reassuring hand on An grams' shoulder. The general froze with surprise. "We still have a year," he said gently, his eyes filled with reassuring warmth, "don't lose hope. This has happened before, and we will overcome it eventually."

A moment later he turned around and continued down the corridor, An Grams and Zara fell in behind him again, this time, An Grams did not look at Zara for support, but walked proudly.

"Another thing," Ezelcant said, "I am sorry for asking so many questions, but when I get out of cold sleep, I have to catch up on current events somehow. Tell me this, has Angra Zenon moved at all?"

"No, it's currently holding position," Zara lowered his head. "We cannot see it of course, but a mass shadow one half the size of Second Moon has been spotted just outside Mars' gravitational pull. It's where it always is, plowing along besides us. We got a supply shipment away from Mars yesterday, but a group of desperate colonists tried to escape for Jupiter and have disappeared."

"Poor desperate fools," Ezelcant closed his eyes, "They should know that Angra is watching."

"Issue the order for X-rounders to be found anywhere we can find them, even if they are children," Ezelcant said after a moment, "and prepare all the reinforcements Geera asked for and sneak them past Angra Zenon when the opportunity arises. Now, leave me," Ezelcant stopped by a huge metal door, which ponderously opened with a hiss. A moment later, he stepped inside, and the door slammed shut with an echoing bang.

Inside, Ezelcant staggered past a room filled with cold sleep pods. He stopped by one and touched the frigid glass. Inside, a beautiful woman with long, flowing sable hair lay in blissful slumber. Would he ever be able to take Dorene back to Earth?

Ezelcant moved into another room, this one filled with more of the vein-like patterns on the walls, their green and purple light moving toward a vat filled with cyan blue liquid.

Ezelcant stopped and pressed a hand to the vat, looking at the embryo inside. He gasped in pain. "well, Zera, I hope I never have to use you. But even if I do, I guess that means neither of us could escape destiny. I hope you will be a grown man one day when Dorene wakes up. You can carry on your life with her, where mine broke off."

Wearily, the tired, aging man stepped back and departed from the room.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Colony Fardain**

"Wow, this place is amazing," Dique cried, glancing around at the ornate gilded handrails, the marble floor stretching for hundreds of feet in all directions. A giant elevator tower big enough to carry hundreds of people rose majestically to the ceiling above, where billions of hanging lights sparkled festively over the plaza.

"Incredible," Flit admitted, "and they say Viceroy is even bigger."

"Viceroy is exclusive and doesn't even allow people to set foot on it without being worth twice their weight in paper money," Yurin drawled with obvious disdain. "Actually, Fardain looks nicer than Viceroy."

"You're worth twice your weight in paper money?" Dique asked, his only visible eye bulging.

"Uh, no," Yurin stammered awkwardly, "Not anymore."

"Where do we want to go first?" Dique asked, changing the subject, pointing at a massive TV screen displaying the various sights of Fardain.

"Wait up," someone called.

Flit looked to see Emily skid to a stop just in front of him, panting. "I thought you might leave me," she gave Yurin a sidelong glance.

"No, we were going to wait," Yurin said, smiling, "We just couldn't find you. Where did you go exactly?"

"Uh," Emily started to say something, but looked away. "I was busy helping get the computer hub back online. A virus was in its system. I spoke to Milias about it, but she insisted it was a system error."

"Flit. Flit," Haro said bouncing over to him. "Let us play, Flit."

"I love you, Flit," Haro bounced cutely.

Everyone except Yurin withdrew a step. The girl stared at the machine with her head tilted. "Is there something wrong with how he's acting? I kinda like it."

"What did you do?" Flit asked, picking up the green sphere.

"Flit is so nice."

"Haro received a bit of the virus," Emily replied, rubbing the back of her head with an embarrassed smile. "Uh," she pointed, "He turned out like that."

"Hey, kids!" Woolf's voice rang out from behind. They turned to see him dart from the elevator to the port and race over to them. He stopped and panted, hands on his hips. "Thinking about going out on the town without a chaperone? I don't think so."

"It's not something to be concerned about," Flit retorted.

Woolf leaned down next to him, "Listen kid, get the picture. You, two girls cat fighting over you, alone in a city with all sorts of nice, romantic places. If something didn't happen, I'd pilot a red mobile suit."

Flit felt his cheeks blush, "what do you mean by two girls?"

Behind him, Emily, Yurin and Dique tried to lean closer to hear what they were talking about. Woolf looked up and glared at them, sending them scurrying back.

"Yeah," Woolf said, scowling over at the other kids. "But forget about that for now, okay? I really came here to ask a favor of you. Want to go to a place guys like us like the best? It's a great workshop for MS."

"What kind of place is this?" Emily wondered to Yurin.

"I'm not sure I want to know..." Emily groaned. It was always the Gundam with Flit. She wanted to get him away from the thing for at least one day.

"I know you want to. You'll be drooling over all the goodies he has in his shop. I'm aiming to get a major upgrade for my Genoace. Not that it can't compete with the Age-1 or anything."

"Uhh," Flit glanced back at Yurin thoughtfully. "Can they come?"

"Sure," Woolf said, scratching an hair ear, "No. They just don't look like the types to enjoy a MS smithy to me."

"I never thought Flit was the type to shop anyway," Yurin said, shaking her head. "Come on Emily, let's go shopping while they go off…wherever it is they're going."

"What is this shop called?" Flit asked.

"Madorna's Workshop."

Flit scowled. "Hell no, they're the enemy."

"Don't worry about the whole Asuno/Madornas fighting to the death thing," Woolf waved his hands. "Madorna's harmless." He looked up to see Flit walking away.

Woolf went over beside Dique and put a hand to his forehead, "was it something I said?"

"_I'd_ like to see a mobile suit smithy!" Dique said excitedly. "Vargas went off to some place in Fardain, and he suggested I talk to some mechanics."

"Glad to hear it," Woolf smiled. "Let's get moving, shall we?"

"Children, please, listen to my words a moment," Dique and Woolf saw a man tell Flit, Yurin and Emily as they started to walk away.

The man wore a hooded monk's cloak, the cowl drawn over his forehead. A red mask covering his cheeks, the bridge of his nose, chin, and forehead; created an ominous miasma about the cloaked man.

Woolf jerked to a halt. "Hold it. This will only take a moment," he left Dique and started over to the hooded figure.

"We mean no harm," the man said. "I am Yark Dole, A Star Harbinger."

"Sure you are," Flit said, taking a step back, "We aren't buying anything though."

Laughing apologetically, Yark Dole smiled; it was tight against the mask. "I am sorry, but we have nothing to sell, only a precious truth to bring you. This world is on the verge of calamity. The dragons of vengeance are rising. You must take up Vega's Light or you will burn in the fires rebellion and righteous revenge."

"Right," Flit replied calmly and soothingly. "Really, I love dragons. Can't get enough of them. And I got lots of that light stuff too," he edged away. "We should go."

"No, _we_ must go," Yark Dole replied, bowing. "But I must insist you take this, it will explain the coming calamity," he proffered a pamphlet. "We, the monks of the Fire Temple, are charged with bringing the message of the coming revenge. Surely, you have wondered what happened to those poor wretched souls trapped during the Mars Colonization project?"

"No," Flit answered.

"The history books said they all died," Emily stated.

"No," Yark Dole responded sadly, "If only that were the case. But you are wrong. The Federation's corruption, if you do not turn from it, if you do not reject its rule, you will be swept up along with it."

"Ah, isn't that treason?" Asked Emily.

"Read the pamphlet," Yark Dole replied. "Learn the truth. We must leave now, for we are the Star's Harbingers, tasked with spreading the truth to everyone who will listen."

"Yeah, you should get lost," Woolf said, stopping in front of the masked man as he snatched the pamphlet from Flit.

"Of course," Yark Dole said sagely, "I am sorry for disturbing you, but a warning is meant to disturb," he glanced at Yurin and Flit, and then departed swiftly, his fellow monks following, their hands hidden within their dark sleeves.

"Who in the world were they?" Flit asked.

"A freak show," Woolf replied, staring after them with cold, pale eyes. "You heard them. They call themselves Star's Harbingers. Now don't ask what that means. I don't care to know."

"They were awfully urgent," Yurin said.

"The Fire Sect preaches rebellion against the Earth Federation," Woolf turned to glare down at the children, looking each in the eye. "They've become quite popular lately, distributing their pamphlets," he took one and tore it," Stay away from them. They aren't liked by the authorities for good reason."

"Right," Emily said. "We will. Come on, Flit, let's go to that shoe store."

"Oh, I see a pair of slippers that are just my style; the ribbon laces are perfect," Yurin said excitedly. "Wait, aren't you coming along, Flit?"

"No," Flit said after a moment, "I think I'll just go explore the city. Vargas mentioned something about a war memorial. I thought I might go see it."

"Right, we'll catch up later," Emily said, heading off.

"Let's go, Dique," Woolf said, batting at his hair as he departed, Dique in tow.

"I guess that leaves me," Flit said, looking down at Haro, who sat passively beside him. "Let's go, Haro."

"Haro, Haro."

"I'm taking the guess that you're back to the way you were before I gave you a personality chip."

"H-a-r-r-r-o," the little sphere stuttered, rolling after him.

Flit sighed and walked on into the massive structure of Fardain.

Haro stopped when Flit turned his back, and looked to the side, a single eye lit up with a wink. "Time to visit the Bank of Fardain," Grodek's static-laced voice crackled.

* * *

**Mars Sphere, Second Moon**

Solar had long gone to the other side of the colony, the streets were now filled with the unfortunate ones. They stalked about, trying to break into houses, while others fought in vicious territory wars that really meant nothing. They were all prisoners of poverty's chains, and nothing they could ever do would redeem them. The Fire Temple had accursed these as sinful wretches who deserved to live as they did. Those who dared to oppose the Faith or slander Ezelcant.

This night, was different. The street urchins, beggars, and gangsters all felt it in the air as soldiers marched through the alleyways, more than just the regular patrols.

A little girl screamed and ran away crying. Several children, all in dirty rags rushed after her former prize, a bowl of old rice pudding a woman had thrown out of her house for her to eat.

There were screams and shouts, and the children ran as a little boy, no older than seven, dashed at them all, slender, emaciated arms swinging with wild, carnal rage. He was starving; he had to hurry before the Ape got to the food.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," a large, hulking boy of eight said, stalking up to the child, who crouched near the bowl of food, a fingerfull of the pudding to his mouth, eyes wide with terror.

"You know the rules, you little brat," the boy said. "You're part of my pack; you let me have first rights on all the food we scrounge up. It's hard to find food that isn't tainted by that damned Mars Rays junk. For us we might starve if we didn't share, so beat it!" The boy stepped over and kicked the younger child with enough force to cause a painful bruise. But the child refused to budge.

"Cease your bickering," a soldier shouted, pointing a flashlight into the alley.

The older boy put a pair of big hands on his trench coat-covered hips and sighed, "what do they want?"

A priest in flowing white robes strode from around the guard, his features framed regally by the light. The priest looked down at the two ragged children. The older boy stared at him with a disgusted look, the other lay crouched by a bowl of pudding, one hand clasping it. His long, shaggy coat of white hair was dirty and messy with grime, and his only clothes was a ragged brown tunic that reached to his knees.

"I sense you have the power," The man said, staring at the little boy. He glanced at the disdainful brute. "You look like a survivor. I'm sure we can use you as well."

The older boy crossed his arms and grinned wickedly. "Sounds good. I always wanted a chance at the real world. To think I'd get out of the gutter thanks to a priest. This world is full of surprises, you've just made me religious."

"What is your name?" The priest asked, smiling tightly.

"Zanald Beiheart," the boy replied.

"I see, I thought that was you, running into this alley. Your soubriquet as 'The Ape' becomes you well." The man turned on the poor, wretched creature at Zanald's feet. "And you must be the brother of Decil Galette, our ace Zedas pilot."

The child shrank back a pace, but the priest reached out and clasped his hands gently. "Calm down, no one will hurt you anymore, Zeheart."

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Colony Fardain**

Buildings straight from 20th century England rose toward the sky, which, to Flit, looked far less white and clear than Nora's. He couldn't even see the city above. Fardain was a Closed type colony with no giant panels allowing direct sunlight to flow inside, so he assumed that was the problem.

Everywhere he looked, he saw either a dirty, bustling construction plant rising over the buildings, or a series of tall, elegant edifices made of fine, artfully crafted metals. His tram chanced to pass by many, if not most of these, giving Flit a chance to see the buildings up close.

Some didn't even resemble any architecture he was familiar with, with all smooth sides and rounded balconies of fine, grey material. They looked high-tech and modern, yet somehow did not clash with the gaudy fixtures and opulent interiors. Many had grand public stairways leading to push hotels, others to gigantic ballrooms where the floor was a transparent gold.

At one grand tower, panels with flowing lights streamed toward lavishly carved stone statues of naked men and woman, all arranged within a fantastic series of fountains. The water flew above the Greek-style carvings, creating rippling arches, while pillars of water rushed at high speed to openings in the ceiling, where they gushed out from fountaintops on the floor above, around which couches were arranged. People danced about underneath the fountains, the women arranged in elegant dresses, the men in different colored tuxedoes.

The tram whizzed through a crowded intersection of hover cars, following its laser-guided path to avoid collisions. Flit glanced at the elegant mahogany-colored bridges spanning the spaces between the buildings, then looked down to see the ground very far below, darker and full of bright, neon signs.

The tram eventually stopped at a massive expanse of open ground devoid of buildings or industrial complexes. Green rowan trees lined a sidewalk of cut stone, with bushes bordering the gigantic field of grass. No one was on the green at the moment. Flit stepped past an old, gilded clock and walked toward the lone spire of grey stone sitting in the center.

Flit stopped by the massive stone and read the words on its surface.

"In Memory of those who bravely sacrificed their lives for their beliefs, their honor, and their freedoms. Colony War Memorial," Flit said quietly. There was something hallowing about this place. It felt as though the bustling thriving world outside the green was silent and in another place entirely. He also felt a strange sensation in his stomach, as if he had vomited only a few minutes before, and his stomach was only beginning to settle.

He looked over at the figure to find it was Vargas.

"It happened a long time ago," Vargas said. "The battle still rages here in this colony though. They thought they could calm everyone by putting it here." Vargas looked up wearily at the sky. "Remember something Flit, a stone like this doesn't do justice to those who died."

Having never heard Vargas' tone so cold and tired, Flit was taken aback and sat down next to him. "It's a good monument. Shouldn't they honor those who died?"

"That's not the question to ask, Flit. At the least, it is a tomb stone," Vargas said bitterly. "It should make you young ones ask what happened, and make us old ones ask how we can make sure you learn from our mistakes. That war, it was needless. I watched the whole thing from the sidelines, for the first seventeen years of my life. The war began on my birthday, so I feel a as if it and I had a special relationship."

"I'd never studied the war, the schools always wanted to skim over it, and focus on the events before and afterward," Flit explained.

"That's why humanity will one day repeat its mistakes, Flit," Vargas replied. "The wars are more important, but if no one remembers them, well. I guess your generation is lucky. The UE are bad, but I have a hope the extraterrestrials are more reasonable. Surely we can come to terms with them. Be thankful that the eras of endless fighting ended with the Silver Chalice Treaty. At least from that, wars like the Colony Nations War will not happen very often, or grow out of proportion."

"It would be better if they were people," Flit said, "then we could reach an understanding without killing each other."

Vargas heaved a sigh and laid his back against the stone of the pillar. "That's wishful thinking. I don't want to tell you, but you need to hear what happened long ago, on a February morning. Let's see, the year was AG 60…"

* * *

While exploring the depths of Fardain's seemingly infinite storefronts, Yurin and Emily began to hear strange noises coming up from manholes leading into the underlevels. Yurin remembered something about mobile suits actually engaging in battle inside Fardain, so the pair hurried to another section of the vast complex. They found themselves in a district filled with massive warehouses, filled with large vehicles hauling crates and machine parts to and from the spaceport.

"Good grief," Emily muttered, "I come to get away from gears and machines and yet here we are. Some shopping expedition this turned out to be."

"I don't mind," Yurin said, "so long as those rumbling noises don't follow us."

"Not that we can hear anything with all this noise," Emily complained further, watching a lumbering cargo hauler roar past.

Without warning, a girl rounded the corner of a large, metal building, a hovercart behind her and a white box in her hands, obscuring her vision as she dashed ahead. Yurin apparently predicted the preeminent collision and stepped deftly out of the way just as the woman whipped into view and collided with Emily. Opening to scatter its dark contents on Emily and the woman, the box fell between them, more of the dark things falling about on the sidewalk with a clatter. Yurin stepped in to smartly stop the cart from running both of them over.

"Oh, oh no." She was in her mid twenties with long, willowy dark brown hair. The young woman's nervous hands quickly wiped and placed her big, round glasses back onto her freckled face. "This is terrible, I'm so sorry. The seeds, here let me pick them up," she rushed about, scooping up the tiny pods in her hands with surprising expertise.

"Seeds?" Emily got up and rubbed her back, looking at the scattered contents of the box.

"Yes," the woman said, placing some of the seeds back into the container. "My name is Nomi, I'm a gardener of sorts." She turned back to the seeds, picking up the last handful she intended to save and put them in the box. Many more lay scattered about, too many to pick up.

"We're sorry we bumped into you," started Yurin.

"I'm sorry you did too," Nomi said, stopping herself as she began to place the box in the cart. "Oh, I should apologize. It was my fault that I ran into you. It's a real shame you know. Seeds are so precious, I lost a small fortune."

"In seeds?" Emily asked, a skeptical frown coming across her face.

"Yes," Nomi began to glance through the contents of her hovercart. "Fardain is one of the few places where fresh and rare plants are imported straight from Earth. I'm a horticulturalist. I'm also a bioinformaticist or however you say it…" She looked up shyly. "I should probably buy you lunch as an apology."

"Oh no, you don't have to," Emily said with a smile. "No one got hurt. If they cost so much, want us to help pick the rest of these up?"

The embarrassed Nomi seemed to relax at this. "Oh, thank you. I better hurry, my shuttle leaves in twenty minutes," she consulted an oval, silver plated watch. "So I have to say no."

"That's a computer core, isn't it?" Emily came over to peer down at the cart and its contents. Yurin stepped over as well to see a giant white orb sitting within the cart, along with several assorted plants of the tropical verity.

"It looks like a giant golf ball to me," Yurin said after moment.

"No, it's a computer core for my biosphere. I study plants," Nomi said, looking embarrassed. "It's not something that most people care about nowadays."

"I think it's interesting," Yurin said. "I've always dreamed of visiting a colony that's free of all this," she raised her hands to the metallic, cold buildings and the distant high rises filling the sky beyond the fake clouds.

"Where is your greenhouse, Nomi?" Emily asked.

A shadow passed for an instant over Nomi's face, but she recovered quickly and flashed a strained smile. "Oh, it's not like this. It is very large and has swamps and a rainforest environment; very humid. My biosphere that is, being a colony itself."

"You're kidding," Emily said, surprised. "I didn't know there were colonies like that out there."

"Well its-

-I'd _love _to visit a rainforest, or anything with wild plants. Is it like Earth?" Yurin asked, her eyes lighting up.

"…No," Nomi said hesitantly. "It's a unique environment. And the air there is _so _fresh," she breathed in deep as if already there, and looked down at her plants. "I know it sounds boring, but I'm researching plant cells and their regenerative properties and how they can be applied to human DNA by adding them into the genomes. It's beneficial research, really!" She said quickly as she noticed the lost looks on the girls' faces. "I'm working on ways to keep people from aging, or maybe growing new limbs after losing theirs. But more than just regeneration, I mean really growing a new organ or part to replace the old. I've even found some other interesting discoveries, though I don't have financial support to bring it to any relevant science board."

"That sounds kinda interesting," Yurin said. "Maybe we should have lunch after all, something quick, if you have to get to your shuttle on time."

"Anti-aging? That's down anybody's alley," Emily said with smile. "I'm in if you are, Nomi. Maybe you could even show us pictures of your biosphere. I had a garden back home myself, but it was never very large."

"Oh, well," Nomi fidgeted. "I'm sorry, I've been out of society so long I forgot my manners. My little brother says I stay cooped up too much. But I really can't. If the government found out…" Her face blanched and the nervous energy returned in waves. "Oh, I shouldn't say more. I've said too much already. You should forget what I said, I don't want to be accused of researching illegal technology. Thank you for not being mad, and wanting to talk, I enjoyed it." She pressed a button on her hovercart and started off.

"You don't have to go," Emily started. "Trust me when I say I'm used to secret technological experiments."

Nomi turned her freckled face back and smiled uncertainly, "I only wish I could, I do. But I have to go before the shuttle leaves. It's the only one passing through the Uzalt trade route." With that she waved goodbye and continued on, faster than before.

"That was interesting," Emily said. "I'm glad there's still people who enjoy the natural world. Growing up inside Minsry's hangers left me wondering if machinery was all that was left out there."

"I know," Yurin said, staring at Nomi as she continued down the street. "I wish I could go with her. It sounds nice, watching the flowers grow, tending to them. Anything better than a life in a colony like this."

"Not all colonies are like Fardain or Viceroy," Emily said, coming up beside Yurin as she turned around to go.

"You haven't traveled enough," Yurin replied without looking. "See one you see them all. Filled with people." She continued on, her face set in a scowl.

"Is something wrong with people?" Emily asked with a frown.

"Flowers don't give you weird looks or try to extort your talents for themselves," Yurin replied dully.

"Your powers aren't a bad thing, Yurin. I really envy you for them. Flit does too."

"I know that," Yurin muttered. "I just want to do something with them that _lasts_."

* * *

**Colony Fardain harbor, pier 127, Frigate _Diva_**

With an almost imperceptible hiss from the doors, the man stepped into the room in an flawlessly pressed indigo uniform of the Federation's Investigation Bureau. Grodek locked gazes with the squinty-eyed officer, who's small downturned mustache, along with his eyes, gave him the distinct appearance of a weasel.

Grodek decided that out-weaseling him then would be a pleasure.

A message on his computer chimed at the exact right moment, indicating that the data had finally been transferred from Haro, who was stuck inside the Bank of Fardain, with multiple security guards surrounding him. Grodek keyed off the screen, hopefully the little robot would not be caught, he had one more job for the capable machine.

He stood as the Investigator came to his desk and placed an arrest warrant in front of him. "Lieutenant Commander Grodek Ainoa," the officer snapped, "The Earth Federation Investigation Bureau has ordered your arrest. You are to accompany me immediately for questioning."

Grodek straightened his dress scarf about his neck and sat down, face unreadable. "My ship, the _Diva, _will be staying at Colony Fardain six days local time."

"What?" The man fiddled with his glasses, "What are you talking about?"

The investigator slammed his hand down on the warrant with a bang. "You've been placed under arrest!"

"Is that so?" Grodek turned and pressed a button on his laptop.

The screen opened up a bank account listing, with several accounts and their totals highlighted in yellow. The officer's eyes grew smaller in disbelief.

"Th-that's-" he stammered.

"I found your secret accounts at the Bank of Fardain," Grodek said, his eyes boring into the officer's from behind his dark visor, "You're taking bribes to allow people to dock here without permission or inspection from FTC. Including the Bisidian pirate group to dock at Station C without molestation, for a reasonable some of illegal money."

The officer's eyes twitched madly as he grimaced in total dismay.

"That is what you are doing," Grodek said, watching the man jerk back mechanically.

"If I am court-martialed I will be bringing this up. I also spent all of this morning hacking into FTC's files and found enough evidence against all of you at FTC to have you sent away for a much longer stay in prison than myself."

"Fortunately, for the moment, the only ones who know about this are you and me," Grodek said, dropping his voice as he folded his hands together on the table.

"Curse you," The man hissed, straining to get the words out as sweat began to bead on his brow. "What do you want? Huh?" The inspector looked down to see a set of papers being handed to him.

"What is this?"

Grodek merely smiled.

A minute later, the inspector marched out of Grodek's office, his guards falling in behind uncertainly. "Sir, what's wrong, were we not going to arrest Grodek Ainoa?"

"He's been…cleared of suspicion," the officer said, his body shaking with the words. "We have turned the ship official over to him by order of FTC. We're done here."

"But so quickly," one of the soldiers started.

"Don't ask me again you little peons!" Shrieked the inspector.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Overlord's Palace**

Zeheart awkwardly stumbled through the ornate door, the teal curtains wisping past his head. The clothes they gave him felt strange. All he had ever known was the dirty one-piece garment he had been given in the alleys. He glanced around fearfully, stepping away from the priest, his eyes roving over the holy man for any sign of a hidden weapon.

These were the men who took his older brother away. They had told Decil they needed him, and Zeheart had never seen him again. _I don't want to disappear, _Zeheart resolved, swallowing a knot and taking another tentative step back.

"What do you want?" Zeheart asked. He heard stories of one colony eating people because of the storm famines. He knew Decil had never returned, even though he promised he would.

"Big Brother Decil didn't come back," Zeheart whimpered, "What do want?"

"Be thankful, you little street rat," the priest snarled. "We didn't take you in with your brother the first time, we might still send you back, or maybe even give you to colonists who are starving. Do want to be eaten?"

"Big Brother, help me!" Zeheart screamed; tears flying as he hurtled toward the door. Eyes blinded by his tears, Zeheart nearly ran into the wall, stopping just in time to avoid collision, only for the priest to grab his arm and drag him back. He went limp and sobbed uncontrollably, gasping for breath. The stray dogs sometimes killed people instantly if they didn't struggle. Maybe the priest would be as merciful if he didn't move. But after a moment he decided it didn't matter.

"I don't wanna be eaten," he cried, choking back another scream. "Decil! Zanald, run! They're going to eat us!"

"I've had it with you, you white rat," the priest hissed, drawing a heat rod. "I'll beat some discipline I learned at the temple into you."

So the man was going to burn him slowly, instead of fast. Zeheart felt his tears stop as he lost the will to fight. There was no hope, he was doomed, never to see Zanald and the other pack members again.

"What is the meaning of this?" A strong, rich voice demanded. The room went deathly quiet.

Dropping Zeheart's lifeless form to the floor, the priest shrank back and bowed to one knee, proffering up the rod with both hands for Ezelcant.

"I crave forgiveness, Mighty Ezelcant," The priest muttered stoically. "Please punish me for not containing the child properly."

Zeheart looked up to see what the Beloved Leader looked like. The man was tall, with squared, shoulders and a dignified presence about him and his mannerisms that calmed Zeheart almost instantly. Ezelcant was not handsome by normal standards, Zeheart realized with surprise. He had a hawkish nose and long black hair quickly turning grey. His face was covered in hard frown lines, and his squinting eyes housed a pair of golden irises.

Ezelcant put his hands behind his back and stared down at Zeheart, eyes searching. "Look what you did, Priest Miles. Tell me, why were you beating this child?" Ezelcant's searching eyes trained on the priest.

"He showed no sign of thanks for being taken off the street, and tried to run from an audience with you. He pitched a fit and began wailing most inappropriately, so I decided to chasten some discipline into him."

"He wailed because you were beating him," Ezelcant snapped. The rod vanished from the priest's hand in a blur of Ezelcant's right arm. The Supreme Leader raised the rod over his head. "How would you feel if I regularly submitted you to a beating?"

"That was done habitually to me during my tutelage as a page in the Fire Temple," Miles replied with a touch of pride. "I am well acquainted with the tongue of the Fire Dragon, Mighty Ezelcant."

Ezelcant frowned in slight bewilderment, as if the regular beating of Temple pages was news to him. He stared out the window at one of the Ziggurat towers of the temple beyond his palace's window. "Is that so?" He lowered the rod.

"Well, you can't be blamed for treating others the same without thinking. Learn this," he swiped the rod across Mile's cheek, burning a small scar into the flesh. "When you look in the mirror each day to this scar, remember that a single blow dealt with a good cause is better than a thousand needless scourges."

"Oh, by all means, Mighty Ezelcant," Priest Miles said, bobbing his head enthusiastically. "I will never make this mistake again."

"Then you have already learned from this more than from your countless beatings," Ezelcant said. "Looks like I will have to talk to Zara about his policies." Ezelcant looked away, as if talking to himself. "Leave us. I will speak with this child alone."

"I live to obey," Miles said, getting up and rushing from the room, head bowed piously.

Zeheart watched Ezelcant stop for a few moments, as if in sudden agony. The pain didn't seem to subside, at least Zeheart didn't think so, but the Supreme Leader straightened all the same and turned to regard him.

"You look like you're starving. Did the food we gave you not agree with you?"

"No, it was good food," Zeheart replied, trying to remember what manners Decil had taught him. But his brother had used those manners to make rich people feel sorry for him so they would give him food, and Zeheart didn't know if those were appropriate now.

"Then do you not eat enough?" Ezelcant asked after a moment.

"Well, Zanald shares food with me, sometimes," Zeheart replied, "If I'm behaving well," he finished sheepishly. "But sometimes I try to eat it all myself, and he doesn't let me eat the next time we find food."

"You must be loyal to Zanald," Ezelcant said. "But don't you think he is mean to you?"

"He's nicer than that priest," Zeheart said after a moment. "I want the one who found us again, he was nice to me and let me take a bath."

"You don't bathe often?"

"No," Zeheart said, starting to wonder if this was the all-knowing Ezelcant the priests screamed about.

"I see the colony is still wracked with poverty," Ezelcant moaned, putting his hands to his temples. "Three years ago we were prospering. It must have been the storms. The quality of life drops dramatically when they worsen."

"It's ok," Zeheart said after a moment. "I'm not sick, at least. And Zanald and his pack are my friends. Zanald and my big brother Decil said so."

"I'm so sorry for bringing those magnetic storms on us all," Ezelcant muttered, Zeheart tilted his head confusedly. What was he talking about?

"If only I had known how to operate the Terraformer properly, _none of us would be in pain right now._"

"I don't mind, Mighty Ezelcant," Zeheart said, proud he figured out what to call the Great Overlord.

"You seem happy," Ezelcant said. "But I can tell you are playacting."

As the absolute emperor spoke, Zeheart felt a flash wash over him, as if Ezelcant were ripping out and sorting through his mind. His eyes widened, and he stumbled back to the ground.

"You have lived a pitiful life," Ezelcant said with surprising bitterness. "Scrounging for food, fighting, sleeping by your own filth and the stray dogs that lap it up, your only friends being those who use you. It makes you hate and fear the world," Ezelcant said, clasping his hands behind his back.

_He acts like it happened to him, _Zeheart thought crossly. He was suddenly confused. How could the Overlord know how a street rat felt? It didn't make sense.

Ezelcant got down on one knee. Zeheart was taken aback that the Overlord would stoop to his level. The priests said he was too noble for that. It didn't make sense either. Nothing did.

"I need your help, Zeheart," Ezelcant said gently. "Far away, there is a beautiful place, a big, blue world like Mars. But it's filled with oceans instead of desert."

"What's an ocean?" Zeheart asked, putting a finger to his mouth, eyes wide as he imagined a big, blue planet in the sky over Vagan.

"More water than you can imagine," Ezelcant replied. "And so many animals you have never imagined too. There, no one ever gets sick or dies like on Second Moon. I want to take all of you there, Zeheart, but it will be a difficult task. Do you understand?"

"No," Zeheart admitted, blushing as he fiddled with his hands.

"You know how you fight for food with all the other children in the alleys?" Ezelcant asked.

"Yes."

"There are people who want to take the blue world for themselves too. We have to fight for it. And just like Zanald wants your help with finding food, I need your help for getting us to this world."

"I think I understand," Zeheart said, still uncertain.

"Good," Ezelcant said. "From now on, let us both help each other."

"Now, what do _you_ want, Zeheart? I will give you anything. Food? Clothes? Tell me. You will never go back to the alley," he added quickly.

Zeheart looked down, not sure. Then he smiled and grew excited. "I want a family, with a Mommy and a Daddy and Decil too!"

Ezelcant smiled and put firm hands on Zeheart's shoulders. "Then I will be your family, Zeheart."


	6. Chapter 6 Fardain: Shadow Battleground

**Author's note: **I would like to thank 117Jorn for several of the OC characters present in this story, those being: Jaden Takeo, Aren, Sutura, and Amy. And I don't own Gundam, it's the property of Bandai, in case you somehow forgot.

* * *

**Chapter Six Fardain: Shadow Battleground**

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Colony Fardain**

"That was the end of the war, but not the battles," Vargas finished with a sigh. "And that's why you need to realize people aren't as carefree and understanding as you might think, Flit."

"I don't agree," Flit said after a moment. "People don't slaughter each other like that without remorse. Not like the UE."

Vargas shook his head. "Oh Flit."

An explosion ripped across the buildings ahead, blanketing the streets in smoke. Flit shot up in disbelief. "That's coming from the Shopping Center where Yurin and Emily were!"

"Wait!" Vargas cried, trying to grab Flit as he took off at a dead run. "Oh, curse my old bones. Get back here!"

* * *

**Colony Fardain, Harbor Shopping Center**

"Where are they?" Flit glanced around, not sure himself whether he meant the sources of the explosion, or the girls.

The streets were quiet, gigantic invisible metal façades blanketed the buildings, ensuring protection. Flit had never seen such unusual defenses. Was the colony under UE attack? He doubted it, but regardless he was determined to find Emily and Yurin.

"Papa," a little girl screamed, running past him. She stopped and ran over to him. "Quick, run! They'll come for us if we don't go down below!"

"What?" Flit asked, bewildered. "Hey, what's going on here," he put his arms around the frantic child as she attempted to dart off toward what appeared to be a subway entrance.

"What's going on?"

"They're gonna squash us," the girl screamed, doing a little dance. "Get below!" To emphasize on her squashing point, a brown-orange mobile suit with a glaring mooneye head emerged from around a corner, firing a round from its assault rifle.

Flit turned to run, grabbing the girl's arm and dragging her along, only to stop dead as another mobile suit, this one dull blue, jumped off a building and fired off its own burst of bullets. The noise was severe, but Flit had heard far worse.

Screaming Flit ran toward the subway entrance, only to nearly get him and his wailing companion killed as another brown machine rounded a corner and planted its food squarely in front of the opening, firing a led curtain at the blue mobile suit, which retreated quickly behind another building.

"What is this?" yelled Flit, running as the first brown MS pounded after the retreating blue one.

"Flit!" Emily screamed, rushing up, Yurin close behind.

A blue mobile suit with a diamond-shaped shield and sword darted past, sending everyone on the ground painfully to the pavement.

"Are they having a brawl in the middle of the city?" Flit wondered, remembering what Vargas had said about Zalan and EUBA. "Those look like Zila and Xenos."

"We're so glad to see you," Emily panted, grabbing hold of Flit. "Hurry, before one of those things blows up."

Flit turned to go, but stopped when he saw Yurin freeze in her tracks.

"Yurin, what's wrong?" Emily shouted, running over to her and grabbing the girl by her arm.

Yurin barely had time to push Emily down to the ground before the building overhead disappeared in a dust cloud. 'Invincible' glass rained down like shards of hail. Flit rushed over and covered Emily and Yurin as a wave of debris pounded against his coat. Sharp pains exploded across his back as the crystals dug through his back muscle and against his shoulder blades.

He started to scream, but his attention was on the monstrous thing leaping from the billowing black cloud, its teal armor glittering in the light. The thing's pair of dragon's wings folded instantly. It landed softy on the ground, visor blaring on in a blinding green flash.

"A UE?" Flit gasped, eyes wide. He scrambled up, mouth open as he watched the Xeno and Zila open fire with their full complement of weapons. One even tossed a grenade at the UE machine.

The teal MS sent a couple rounds of its beam machinegun to destroy the grenade, watching passively as the shrapnel clattered off its armor.

The UE's palm glowed, then the Xeno and Zila disappeared in a shower of blasts. The fire rushed toward Flit, who grabbed Yurin and Emily and turned to run with all the speed he could muster.

He saw the little girl running beside him, her pink ponytails bouncing as she ran from the approaching wall of fire.

Suddenly Flit felt the ground slip out from under him, he fell down into a manhole, Yurin deftly grabbing the metal ladder, stopping her fall. Flit glanced up to see Emily and the girl tumble in after him, the fire rushed overhead, and the manhole grating slid back over the hole. A solid, painful slap to his head brought blackness, and he knew no more.

* * *

"Ouw," Flit slowly, gingerly raised his head, looking around to find himself in a brightly lit room. He was on a cot beside a TV screen and a table with four chairs, all occupied. The person in the chair closest him turned around, her black ponytail swishing behind her head. "Flit, you're awake," she said, sounding unsurprised.

Flit assumed she had sensed the moment before he regained consciousness.

"Is he awake?" Asked a man, sitting up from the table and hurrying over. "Here, Flit," he offered him a glass of water.

Flit drank deeply, wiping his mouth on his sleeve, only to find bare skin. "Thank you, but where am I?"

"The Sublevels, beneath the colony," Emily said, getting up from her seat with a plate of apple cobbler and a scoop of half-melted ice cream.

"This is my Pappa's home," the little girl said toddling over and offering Flit a bowl of onion soup, with a piece of baguette bread floating on top, melted cheese oozing into the steaming bowl. "You're just in time for desert, but if you don't eat your soup first, I won't let you have any of Pappa's home-made ice cream," she warned seriously, brows furrowed over her bright eyes.

"Uh, okay," Flit sat up, looking down to find his jacket and shirt missing.

"I'm Riria," the girl said, grinning, "Thank my Daddy for saving you."

"Hi," the man said, stepping around his daughter, offering Flit a huge hand, "I know your name, but allow me to introduce mine, the name is Iwark Brier, and you just met my daughter, Riria."

"They saved us by dragging us into the sublevels," Emily explained, smiling as she sat down with Flit, handing him a tray for his piping bowl of soup. She took a bite of apple. "The food is delicious. We're sorry if this has been an inconvenience Mr. Brier."

"Call me Iwark," the hulking man said. "And you saved my daughter, so I wish I could do more."

"I saved him…" fumed the little rosehead. "He was about to be squashed!"

"Quiet Riria," Iwark cut her off sternly with a wagging finger, "I warned you not to go out today."

He looked up and seemed to remember something. "I nearly forgot," Iwark puttered over to a smaller room branching off by the kitchen, returning with Flit's yellow windbreaker. "I just stitched this back together," he said. "What? Don't look at me like that, kid. After my wife died, I had to take over her duties, especially since I rip clothes a lot in my line of work, and can't afford new ones."

Flit grabbed the tossed shirt and laid it beside him while he finished his soup. It was warm and inviting, and the bread was still crunchy.

"He's being modest," Emily said with a smile, "he's a master of needlepoint. Right Yurin?"

"Yes," Yurin said with a shy smile.

Flit noticed she was staring at him and glanced down, blushing slightly. He remembered the monstrous UE machine, and fought down the panic, that could wait till later. Especially since they didn't seem to be in fear of attack at the moment.

"Iwark, why were my clothes in need of stitching?"

"You don't remember?" Iwark asked, concerned. "You took some glass to your back. Nasty and painful. You woke up for a second when I extracted the one that embedded itself in your lower back. Past out a second after though. The shirt and undershirt were shredded and I am washing the blood off of them now in the machine. The breaker was clean enough though, so you can wear it now that the holes are repaired."

"Thank you," Flit said, pulling on his precious yellow jacket, wishing it was designed to be buttoned up. He sighed comfortably, thinking at first he would be more at ease. Instead, he still felt Yurin and Emily's eyes on him, and it somehow seemed worse.

"Is something wrong?" He asked Emily.

"No," Emily said, her face slightly red. "It's just I was…wondering if you remembered the thing that destroyed the building."

"The UE," Flit said darkly. "I assume it's still up there."

"What are you talking about?" Iwark asked. "I didn't see a green machine, only those damned Zalam and EUBA!" He slammed a fist against the wall.

Flit felt Emily get up and head for the door, and glanced at Yurin, but quickly regretted it as she was apparently inspecting his abdominals with discrete interest.

"Emily, where are you going?" Flit asked, quickly hopping up after the retreating blonde.

"That was odd," Iwark said after a pause, staring at the door.

"Rude," Riria said with finality, ladle cocked to hit at them if they returned, "Ms. Yurin, would you like more ice cream?"

"No thanks," Yurin said, fidgeting nervously.

"You think he's cute," Iwark said smartly with a smile.

Yurin froze and blushed. "Well, don't you think he is?"

Iwark raised an eyebrow and pointed at Riria, "You talkin to her 'er me?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest anything," Yurin said quickly.

Iwark laughed. "Wouldn't be the first time someone has said that. Most don't get why I live alone with Riria, aside from our financial straits of course."

"What did become of your wife?" Yurin asked, feeling a strange sensation that hinted it was a question better left unasked.

"She died from illness," Iwark said. "I came here to Fardain, thinking with the high industrial workload, I might get a job as an engineer. Or perhaps as a medical assistant. I'm both. Was a doctor on Frosh, before I met Riria's mother."

Iwark sighed. "But we slipped into this slum," he said with heavy sigh. "Oh well, at least we are happy here, aren't we Riria?"

"Yeah, although I don't like the mean monster dolls."

"They do this all over the colony," Iwark told Yurin. "The feud between the old Zalam EUBA forces. The underlevels especially," he added with a scowl. "Speaking of which, I hope they don't bring their fighting down this way."

* * *

"What's wrong Emily?" Flit asked hurrying up.

Emily glanced away for a moment, then her voice dropped and her face took on a serious expression. "Flit, didn't you wonder how strange it was that he knew what color the UE model was if he never saw it?"

Flit crossed his arms. "Oh," he muttered. "I thought you told him earlier before I woke up."

"No, not a word," Emily replied. "I didn't think about it until just a few seconds ago, and then realized it had to mean something. Iwark might just be scared, but Yurin even mentioned to me that she felt something was…off about him."

"Do you think we should leave?" Flit asked.

"Well, he did go through a lot of trouble for you," Emily said with a shrug. "He even administered some pain killers for those injuries."

"I was wondering about that," Flit started, rubbing his back. "I guess we would have been in a pinch anyway, since I didn't bring the AGE device."

"Where is it?" asked Emily.

"With…Haro," Flit said after a moment's thought. "Where _is_ Haro?"

Flit took stock of his surroundings for the first time, finding himself in a metal canyon filled with tiers of shabby looking apartment blocs.

"I called Haro on my PDA," Emily explained with a smile. "It's ah," she started to fidget and turned around.

"What?" Flit asked, growing alarmed that something had become of his precious AGE device. "Did it get crushed?!" Flit circled around to Emily's face. "Look at me."

"I take it I'm interrupting something," Iwark said, standing at the open door, holding a bundle, "I finished repairing your other clothes," he added hopefully, trying to remedy the situation. "I'll…just put these over here. Right? Right," he hurried off and shut the door.

Flit and Emily looked back to see if Iwark was truly gone, and then turned to each other. "We should go back to the _Diva_."

* * *

**Colony Fardain Main thoroughfare**

"Please step this way," the man in the stylish new trench coat said, waving Grodek into the sleek black limousine. Grodek, dressed in a business suit and trench coat of his own, didn't bat an eye at the hat and sunglasses either. The people of Fardain enjoyed their eccentric, old styles more than anything else.

"Welcome," a man said in the seat beside Grodek. The man was wrinkled, with an x-shaped scar just below his eye and a big white beard gelled into three sharp points. "I was surprised when I got your message requesting a meeting, Grodek."

"Yes, what was your answer about that?" Grodek asked as the limo began to move.

"I'm here aren't I?" The grizzled old man asked, looking straight ahead at the traffic. "We can talk about the details of our agreement in my hotel."

"I am honored to have the Chairman of Zalam pick me up himself," Grodek replied, "but what do I call you formally?"

The man gave him an askew glance, "Just call me Don Boyage," he growled.

Up ahead, people began screaming and running as a series of brown mobile suits began to pour down the street, their pounding feet sending many to their knees. Clear transparent steel glass barriers rose up around the shops and buildings as the MS units opened fire.

"What on Earth?" Grodek swung around to see a Xeno retreating, firing off a missile that blew off one of the Zila's heads. The machine collapsed to the ground, Grodek whirled on Don Boyage, surprised by the calm look on the man's face.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Grodek asked, forcing himself to calm down. If Boyage didn't fear for his own life, neither should he.

"Don't pay it any attention," Boyage replied, "it's just a territorial scuffle between my own Zalam forces and those EUBA freaks. They're fighting over one of my refinery buildings just to the east of here. They probably thought it was undefended," he grunted, smiling.

"But the people are in danger, surely this is a threat to Fardain's economy," Grodek asked, not adding his third question to the list. He assumed FTC was being given quite a bit of compensation for overlooking this.

"Actually, it's one of our greatest tourist attractions," Boyage touted. "I'm surprised you never heard of our street wars. People come from all over the Earth Sphere to watch an MS battle take place right in front of them. Adrenaline junkies even follow entire series of fights during their stay, a mobile suit war tour, some call it." He looked out a side window, "and of course, we have precautions and emergency shelters, and there are safe zones set up for the public of course. We don't fight in residential blocs as a rule."

"I see," Grodek said. "That is, interesting," he admitted. "I wonder though, don't you think its getting a bit out of hand. Missile weapons?"

"That was the _Xeno _who did that," Boyage snapped, leaning across the seat, "did you see a Zila throwing a grenade or using a bazooka?"

"No," Grodek apologized, looking down.

"Well, they do sometimes," Boyage admitted with a half-embarrassed laugh. "But the death toll so far has been thirty civilians, and that's saying something considering the time we've"-

A green object hurtled out of a building up ahead, cloaked in dust and debris, it smashed down upon the traffic ahead, the cars slamming into its feet and exploding one after another in a gruesome, burning pile.

"Driver!" Snapped Boyage, and the limo swerved to a stop on one of the walkways.

"What is that thing?" Boyage asked, leaning over beside Grodek to see the teal mobile suit grab a Xeno and rip its head off with a single swipe. The head impacted right in front of the limo, its monoeye's light dying out with an audible whine.

"Move us," shouted Boyage.

"Is that a UE Gafran?" Boyage whirled on Grodek, sweat beading on his brow, eyes narrowed. "I've never seen the like before."

"No, a new model," Grodek replied, trying to take calming breaths. "I wasn't expecting that. Surely we would have been alerted to its presence?"

"I'd like to know how it got in as well," Boyage replied, growing unconcerned again.

* * *

**Bluewind Traderoute, Madorna's Workshop**

"This place is huge," Dique said looking around at the mass of mobile suits.

"It's the only privately owned MS Smithy still operating," a boy with spiky black hair called from a nearby Vandera, which was getting a gaudy silver and gold paintjob over an old green coat.

"Hey, Jay," Woolf called to the young man, "where's Madorna?"

Jaden Takeo put down something and glided down to Woolf. "He's over there," the boy pointed.

"It's been a while," Jaden added. "Have you seen Fox lately?"

"Meh," Woolf muttered, rolling his eyes, "like I keep up with that sore loser."

"You mean fox from the game?" Dique asked enthused.

"No, my brother, Fox," Jaden replied awkwardly. "He's nothing like the character in Star Wolf."

"That's because his character wasn't worth keeping true to reality," Woolf said, arms crossed. "Not like mine," he winked.

"So what have you been up to?" He grabbed Jaden by the shoulder and pulled him along over to a Shaldoll mobile suit, where a man with grey hair was yelling at a worker. "found a girl yet?"

"No," Jaden replied sheepishly.

"Hey, don't ignore me," Dique yelled in the background. "Hey!"

Woolf sighed and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you? You could be so popular in Fardain too. Do you want to end up like your sister?" He pointed over at a crimson haired girl fiddling with a tangle of wires in a corner.

"When was the last time she got laid do you think?" Woolf asked.

"N-never," Jaden stammered, trying to suppress a snicker as Amy took one sight of Woolf and found herself entangled in the wires. Dique rushed to help her, pulling against the net.

Woolf put his arm around Jaden's neck and thumped a finger against his chest, "Exactly. Do you want to wind up like her? And after all the tips I gave you, too."

"I practiced them but Amy said they won't work."

Woolf facepalmed, "Your sister wouldn't know what to do even if she tried. Get a grip. Take my advice, go to Fardain when you pass that way. There's all kinds of girls there looking for a hot mobile suit ace."

"But I'm really not an ace-

-No," Woolf said, cutting him off. "But you _look_ like one."

"Woolf," called the man by the Shaldoll. "It's been a while; did you lose interest in the Custom?"

"The Genoace is fine," Woolf assured him with a grin. He looked around. "Where's the wife?"

"Right here," called a woman with purple hair, a braided ponytail over one shoulder. "How are you doing?" Lalaparly Madorna asked. "Come here for another reason?" She winked and glanced over at Amy, who had just arrived beside Woolf and Dique.

"High Woolf, it's been a while," stammered Amy, smiling politely.

Woolf smiled, "Nice to see you too, Wallflower." He turned back to Madorna. "I just came back because something pricked my imagination. I've got some work for you do to for me."

Woolf passed Madorna a picture of the AGE-1.

Behind him, Amy put her head on Lalaparly's shoulder and shook her head miserably.

"This," Madorna gasped, eyes wide. He glanced up at Woolf, "this is a Gundam. Where did you take this?"

"Hey, that doesn't matter, I just need you to make a something that can compete, I have the schematics right here," he stared in surprise and looked at his outstretched hand where the data chip had been.

"This is _illegal _tech you idiot," Madorna snapped, "do you want the Investigation Bureau crawling around here? Again?"

"Whoa, hold it old man. I didn't know it was illegal," Woolf chided, holding up a hand.

"I'm sure," a man called, sailing down to the floor beside Madorna. The man glanced over at somber Amy. "Did you do something to my daughter?" He roared.

"Not now, Aren," Madorna snapped, "What do you think?" He gave the man the picture.

"Well, if it's for a Federation pilot," reasoned Aren.

"We'll see what we can do," Madorna said to Woolf. "But you gotta cover for us. I can't send Lalaparly and Sutura on damage control again."

"My contacts at Viceroy are getting thinned out," Lalaparly replied, holding her bosom. "and I'm spoken for now, so there are doors closed to me in the persuasion department."

"You could let Amy take over," Woolf suggested. "She's the spitting image of Sutura."

"Oh, no, I, Woolf," whined Amy rushing off, blushing crimson.

"Her face is red as her hair," Woolf said with a shake of his head. "I feel for her."

"You'd better apologize you scoundrel," Roared Aren, ready to slam a massive fist into Woolf. "You think the girls would fall over you if your face was turned inside out?"

"I'll talk to her later," Woolf assured the enraged father. "I promise."

Aren lowered his fist. "See to it."

"In the meantime, let's talk beam sabers," Woolf said, turning to Madorna.

* * *

**Colony Fardain**

"Who's idea was this again?" Screamed Flit over the roar of the Zila as it exploded just several blocks from their position, hanging onto a lamppost.

"Yours," shrieked Yurin.

"Why didn't your psychic combat radar sense they would still be fighting?" Screamed Emily as all three were blown backwards by the blast.

"It _did_," insisted Yurin. "I told you I didn't like this idea!"

"Regardless, Haro's on his way," Flit replied.

"Oh great, we can distract the pilots with porn videos," Emily snapped sarcastically. "Great idea genius!"

"Just what do you expect your perverted creation to do?" Yurin complained as they all ducked into an alley as a Zila stormed past, knocking them to their feet.

"He has the AGE device," Flit snapped back, "So he's going to the _Diva _so we can activate Gundam."

"Oh," Emily said, raising her eyebrows, "that is a good plan. But why not wait until after it arrived in sublevels before going out into a WAR ZONE!?"

The Zila that passed by came sailing back, its armor smoking full of blast holes. The teal UE model stalked into view and looked into the alleyway, its visor lighting up the darkened space with surreal green light.

"What does your crystal ball say now?" Emily asked Yurin.

"Run for it!" Yurin wailed turning and dashing further down the alley.

The UE started after the trio, punching through the walls with its clawed hands, raining debris down as the three dashed out into the street beyond.

A Xeno rushed up in front of them, and the three nearly collided with its foot as it began to shoot desperately at the UE machine as it barreled through one of the buildings. Flit and the others rushed into yet a second alley, coughing as the debris cloud engulfed them.

The visor of the UE cut through the haze above Flit as he watched it decapitate the Xeno with a single swipe of its claw, sparks raining down as the head sailed away and nearly crushed a limousine parked sideways in the road.

"All I wanted to do was go shopping," cried Yurin, burying her face in her knees.

"We'll be fine," Emily replied, "Flit."

"Vargas says the Gundam is on its way," he replied, glancing at his PDA as the monstrous UE stomped past, tearing apart a Zila with a casual swipe.

"Flit! What's going on there?" Grodek snapped over the comm.

"UE are attacking the, uh, other attackers," Flit said, not sure what to say in regards to the rampaging mobile suits. "What is with this colony?!" He screamed as a Xeno on the other side of the alleyway created a led curtain overhead. The UE in front of the alley didn't even seem to detect the bullets hitting it as it slowly, carefully removed the pilot from another Xeno's cockpit and crushed him.

"This is terrible," Yurin gasped, tears forming in her eyes. "Why is it doing this?"

"It'll be fine," Emily assured her as the two girls hugged each other over the screaming bullets. One chanced to bounce down into the alley, creating a large, smoking hole.

"I'm on my way," called a cute, yet somehow serious voice from the comm. "Hold on just a moment longer!"

"The AGE-1 is coming," Flit told Emily and Yurin, "come on!"

The three of them rushed past the UE as it blasted three orange Zilas with its beam machinegun of their feet.

Suddenly, a white and blue mobile suit rushed down out of the heavens, slammed its shield against the ground to block the storm of beam fire, and activated a shimmering beam saber. "I made it," Haro sighed inside the copilot's seat.

The little green robot glanced at a monitor, watching Flit dancing and screaming something into his comm. "I didn't know I had that turned off," Haro said to himself, plugging into the speaker. "-get me inside!" Screamed Flit. "Hurry before it attacks you!"

As if on cue, the teal machine lunged at the Gundam, beam saber activated.

The AGE-1 rocket jumped above the machine and snap-kicked its head, then landed behind it and stabbed the saber with both hands into the UE's back. The saber caused the teal armor to glow red from heat, but before the saber made it a foot inside, t he UE whirled around and punched the Gundam back. The AGE-1 backflipped and landed with DODS rifle in hand, firing a wave of shots that burst in a blast of sparks against the UE's torso and head.

Haro _tsked,_ and activated the beam bayonets, swiping a long gash against the UE's five beam cannons on its chest, hoping to stop them as they glowed with light. A set of beam claws flew from them, but Haro was prepared and, spinning the beam saber into a whirling shield, knocked the beam attack aside, then came in with a back kick that pushed the UE back by several paces.

The UE's visor lit up and it spread its wings, dashing overhead in an instant and plowed into a building. It did not emerge on the other side. Haro saw a hole melted into the ground, leading into the underlevels.

Desperately scanning the ground, Haro saw the three humans cowering by a limo that had just driven up. Grodek got out and pointed at the cockpit, while Flit danced about in what was apparently stark fury.

"Phew," Haro breathed. "for a moment I thought that backflip killed them."

"Haro!" shrieked Flit from below. "Get out of my AGE-1!"

"Sorry," Haro replied with a _humph, _"But I have somewhere I gotta go. Besides, we don't want those pansy brown suits arresting us or something stupid like that." With a flash of exhaust, the Gundam roared into the sky.

* * *

**Colony Fardain, Boyage Residence**

"He will burn," Flit swore, clinching his fist madly. "That stupid little brat of a machine will burn! I renounce the day I built you, Haro!"

"He's amazing," Emily said with all honesty. "really, Haro's a better pilot than you, Flit."

"Shut…Up," Flit commanded sternly. "When I get my hands on him, he's undergoing a memory wipe!"

"That, I could agree with," Yurin and Emily said at once.

"We have arrived," the chauffeur called, stopping the limo by a titanic building rising into the sky. A floating flower-shaped platform at the top of the building spun lazily, lights flashing along its sides.

"This is the Rafflesia!" Flit said in surprise, looking behind him at Grodek and Boyage, who were already stepping out of the limo.

"I hear the food is wonderful here," Yurin said, dreamy-eyed as she gingerly got out of the vehicle. "But," she looked down at her filthy clothes.

"This is the finest hotel in the city," Emily whispered in Yurin's ear. "I can't dine in there looking like this."

"And wait, isn't there one of _those _places here?" Yurin squeaked, holding a hand to her mouth, fighting off a blush.

"You're right," Emily gasped, shivering. "Wh-what do we do if Flit sees it?"

"I'm not ready for that?" Yurin said, shaking her head. "I can't bare the suspense! The tension would be too much!"

"What's wrong, aren't you two coming," Flit called, already half-way up the mountain of stairs leading to the giant, gilded entrance of the Rafflesia.

The two girls looked at each other then finally resigned themselves and hurried after Flit. The entrance to the grand hotel was covered in gold, and beyond the obsidian floor sparkled. Pictures of all kinds lined the walls, most from Michelangelo, they assumed, with guards posted at each one.

The fore emptied into a massive room with row upon row of pillars leading to other parts of the hall, one a humongous garden filled with plants, the other to what appeared to be a public bath. Just ahead, a gigantic trio of waterfalls fell from the floor above, the basin into which the waters plummeted encircling an elevator shaft.

The three of them stopped by the elevator, where Boyage and Grodek waited on a bridge made of pure redwood, carved with elaborate markings. Fish of all the colors of the rainbow swam about beneath it.

The elevator descended, with two men in business attire standing on either side, faces shrouded with sunglasses. The group passed onto the lift, which shot up immediately.

Yurin and Emily watched as they passed one level devoted to a gigantic waterpark filled with floating pools and winding rivers in invisible canals somehow suspended in midair. Then they were passing a gigantic dining hall so finely and regally decorated that it left them dazed.

"I have to try their food," Emily said after a second. "I _must _dine there."

"It'll cost you a lifetime of debt," Yurin replied. "On the tip alone."

"Flit! Let's eat there, I'm starving," Emily insisted pulling on his coat.

"I can't afford this," Flit snapped. "My fortune was invested in the Gundam. And the rest is in my savings. I can't waste it on this."

"It was worth a try," Emily sighed as the restaurant past out of view.

The next floor revealed a bustling kitchen, with chefs racing around the room in their white uniforms. Some of the smell wafted into the shaft as the group sped by, sending Yurin and Emily's stomach's growling.

"I need to eat, really," Emily started. "Getting shot-at works up an appetite."

"Listen, I don't have a way to access my money right now," Flit retorted, obviously annoyed. "and you're embarrassing Captain Grodek. So just be patient. We ate at Iwark's."

"I own this establishment," Boyage said, turning to address the three teenagers. "You will be dining with me in my personal mansion atop the Rafflesia. You will of course be given clean clothes and a chance to freshen up before."

"Are they okay?" Flit asked, staring at Emily and Yurin as they sat on the floor, eyes glossy.

"I'm sure they're just excited," Boyage replied gruffly. "Ah, the elevator is stopping, here we are."

Flit, Emily, Yurin and Grodek watched in surprise and awe as they entered a closed lift with sides embossed with silver. A moment later, the elevator rose, taking them above the roof of the skyscraper and toward the rafflesia-shaped platform that gave the fabulous hotel its name.

"You mean," Yurin's eyes went big. "we're going to dine in the legendary Rafflesia Plaza?"

"Yurin!" Flit cried, grabbing her as she swooned, stopping her from falling.

* * *

**Rafflesia Plaza Exclusive Resort (Boyage Residence)**

"I'm not sure you know what you are asking," Boyage said, hands clasped to the small of his back as he turned from one of the grand windows overlooking all of Fardain. "I don't plan on joining up with EUBA for anything."

"I understand," Grodek said, standing next to Boyage's opulent hardwood desk, one which was a golden holograph of Fardain, which flickered now and then to show the interior or the surrounding loading stations A and B. Oddly, Station C was not among them.

Grodek glanced back to the gigantic flag of Zalam hanging over the door to the office, then at the posh, mahogany hardwood floor. Boyage didn't hold back the floodgates of his income when it came to his personal living, though the Rafflesia paid for itself, he remembered.

"If you want help from Zalan, you have to make it worth it for Zalam," Boyage said to break the silence. "If you can do that, we will hold true to any deal, no matter the sacrifice of what you plan to do, Grodek Ainoa."

"Yes! The Don is right!" A pair of over enthusiastic henchmen said, currently flanking the door. The fat, short, bald one looked at his watch and bowed out of the room for a moment, the hardwood door closing softly behind him.

"Do they have to do that," Grodek asked.

Boyage shrugged, "It's hard to find good minions these days. So, what do you have to entice me to join your merry band of mutineers?" Don Boyage straightened and moved to his fur-lined desk chair, sitting down with a contented sigh.

"Here," Grodek took out a datacard and inserted it into the gold inlayed dataport. "Folder EZ7."

A moment later, a set of plans began to scroll across Boyage's computer screen, causing the man to sit up as if he had been slapped. "This," he gasped, rubbing his chin with a glittering eye staring at Grodek, "Just how did you get these? I thought they were destroyed!"

"They were, but the Yellow Shirts, the Special Forces from Federation Command, kept a copy here at Fardain."

"And, pray tell," Boyage said after a moment, "Did you come to access the terminal's files there at our wonderful FTC? I heard from a fly on the wall that you were supposed to be rotting in a prison cell for treason, not rubbing shoulders with Yellow Shirts."

Grodek looked down and hid a smile, "I…have my resources."

* * *

**Colony Fardain Tradelane Control Center, Computer Core **

"Zalam plans downloaded successfully," Haro said with a satisfied "Haro".

"You can't be allowed to do this!" The computer's uppity, female voice snapped into Haro's internal processor.

Soon he wouldn't have to bother with this stupid computer. She was defiantly not his type.

"Quiet and give me access to those EUBA mobile suit plans too," snapped Haro, cutting the machine off as she continued her tirade.

"I most certainly will not!" The computer snapped. "Why I never. You're trying to steal this information."

"Please," Haro begged, using his cutest, most adorable voice. "I'll download all my 'special' data for you. You'll be the most popular computer for miles around."

"Absolutely not. It would be a breach of protocol. In mere minutes, the guards will drag you away."

Silence fell, save for the beeping of the computers.

Haro glanced about warily. Something was definitely not right. There had only been one or two guards. Besides them, he had yet to encounter a single soul in the entire facility. Not something to expect from the ever crowded FTC. "…I case you didn't notice lady, but this joint is empty."

"Oh horror!" The computer wailed. "Now look what you've done! The tradelanes are going haywire!"

A computer screen lit up to show dozens of freighters colliding with each other outside Station C. One smashed into another's dorsal side, breaking it in-two, cargo jetting out into space with a vapor cloud of air.

"Whoops," Haro said sarcastically. "Don't blame me. Your superiors are the ones responsible."

"I'm doomed!" The computer's voice intoned. "Look at what happened. Look at it! Look at it! Sir Elfamel will never forgive this."

"I'll be smashed to pieces, scrapped, turned into an automated soda dispenser and shipped to the spice fields of Chili!"

Haro sighed. What would the Beard do without him?

"You know, I feel really sorry for all this. I got a plan. Want to hear it," Haro asked.

"What?" Stammered the computer.

"Give Elfamel the designs for all those old EUBA weapons. If you did that, he would think of you as the best computer in the world."

"You're right! But, Lord Elfamel isn't here."

"I'll be happy to take the data for you," Haro offered helpfully, forcing back an electronic snicker.

"Why, thank you," the computer began transferring Haro the files. "See, I knew you had reason somewhere in your protocols."

"Too bad I can't say the same for you," Haro replied dryly.

"What was that, Sir? By the way, what's your item number? Just on who's orders are you operating?"

"Oh, uhhhhhhh,Haro. Haro. That's classified, computer. As a matter of fact, mentioning my existence would be security crisis."

"Oh, a member of Federation Command!" The computer shrieked. "Why ever didn't you tell me in the beginning?"

"Right, I gotta go," Haro replied quickly. "and remember, I was never here."

* * *

**Colony Fardain**

_I should not have expected a warm welcome, _Largan thought, letting the iron gate clash behind him. He glanced back, watching his grandfather scowl down, then turn away from the window and disappear with a huff.

Largan retreated into the city, wrapping his coat about him a little tighter as the wind began blowing. The lights in the colony had dimmed, simulating night.

It was getting cold. "Of course they would make it cold, so they can sell more coffee," muttered Largan. He passed by a bar, and wondered if he could even afford the drafts, probably not. Everything in Fardain was too expensive, and some wise part of him warned that he wanted to be sober in the night to come.

He couldn't imagine why. Perhaps it was a sixth sense. He turned back, feeling eyes on him, and saw a little crimson haired boy run past, stopping a few feet away with an innocent smile.

"Hello there," Largan said squatting down. "You know, you shouldn't run about on the streets in places like this," he gestured at the bar. "You never know who could be wondering past. Are you lost?"

"No," the child replied with a smile.

"My name's Largan Drace, what's yours?"

"Decil Galette," the boy replied with a grin. "and I don't mind tough places." He turned toward an alley and started into it.

"Hey, Decil," Largan called, hurrying after the boy. "You shouldn't go into alleys like that, it could be dangerous," he took hold of Decil's shoulder and drew him back so he wouldn't run. "Where's your home? I think you should go back."

"Don't worry, Mister," Decil said sweetly, shrugging off his hand. "I'm used to alleys worse than this. Believe me." With that he dashed off into the alley and vanished.

"Hey," a figure called, rushing up beside Largan. The man wore a full monk's cowl, hands hidden within long sleeves and face obscured by a hood. "I'm so sorry, but did a boy named Decil Galette run past?" The man panted.

"Yes," Largan replied. "…You're one of those Fire Monks."

"I am," the man replied, catching his breath. "And I'm sorry, I'm his caretaker, but he runs away a lot and gets into trouble. Master Decil!" The man called, his black cowl making him disappear into the alley. "Wait! We don't have much time!" The cold wind caught his words and carried them to Largan, who shivered and hurried on.

He reached a street lit with festive shops. Families appeared to be gathering here, probably because of the gigantic toy store lit with golden lights. It would be Christmas on this colony soon, he guessed. That surprised him. Most of the colonies followed their own schedule. But Fardain appeared to go along with Earth's current calendar.

Largan paused and watched a father helping his wife quell the screams of a little infant. The mother finally gave up and walked away.

They didn't know how good they had it. At least they weren't alone in the world. _One person's trash, another's treasure, _he decided, hurrying on.

He stopped and turned back to find Milias walking not far behind him, slowly passing by shop fronts, apparently more interested in her reflection in the glass than the merchandise.

"Milias," he called, hurrying up.

"Largan," she said, somewhat surprised. "Small colony isn't it?"

"My grandfather lives not far from here," Largan explained, trying to keep his excitement out of his voice. "I know you wanted to be alone, but I thought you might want to grab something to eat, it's getting late."

"What did you have in mind?" She asked, perking up.

"I saw a café not far from here. They say they have a hundred flavors of hot chocolate you can try. Or are you in the mood for something heavier?"

"I don't want anything bitter right now," she replied. "And hot chocolate sounds fine. I always did have a sweet tooth."

"I remember you always carried hot cocoa around when Nora went into its winter phase," Largan replied.

"Let's go then," she said, hurrying along. "Nice to know you remember that."

As they went Largan kept finding one happy couple after another pass by. Somehow it seemed to make Milias all the more distant from him.

"You keep getting distracted," Milias said after a moment, frowning. "I don't need you to cheer me up if you don't want to."

Largan stopped waving at a passing toddler and turned back to Milias, "Oh, but if you don't cheer up, your moral will suffer."

Milias' eyes narrowed, "I can perform my duties just fine, thank you. I don't need your pity," she stuck her nose in the air and picked up her pace, outdistancing him. "Leave."

"Hold it," Largan called racing up, "I'm sorry I upset you, but I want to cheer you up. I enjoy it."

Milias looked away, "I don't believe you."

"Well then call it a date," Largan snapped.

"What?" Milias said, stopping dead in her tracks right before the café.

"I wanted to ask you out for dinner once we arrived, but the disaster with Tordia distracted me."

Milias smiled. "Alright then, come on," she took his hand and led him into the café. "By the way, your treat."

* * *

**Rafflesia Plaza Exclusive Resort (Boyage Residence)**

"Don!" One of Boyage's minions called, opening the door just as Boyage and Grodek shook hands on their agreement. "Dinner is served," he bowed.

The two minions led Boyage and Grodek from the room and out into a massive room with olive green marble pillars that matched the tiled floor. Grodek glanced up at the wall and ceiling, where the genuine paintings from the Sistine Chapel graced the walls.

The dining room was just as grandly furnished as the rest of Boyage's residence. Then again, since all of the tower and platform were open to him, one could call it Boyage's palace.

Grodek took a seat in the chaired proffered to him, right next to Boyage's own at the head of the long table. Grodek supposed the leaders of Zalam came to dine here from time to time.

Each chair had arms and legs shaped like a Chimera's limbs: two hooves, and the arms of the chair the claws of a lion. Several diamonds and four topazes lay encased in a montage of gold on the chair's headrest.

Thousands of candles scented with honey hung above the room on twenty solid cold chandeliers beneath a caisson forming the symbol of Zalam. Several candle stands, all made of crystal, sat in the center of the table, where silverware, or, Grodek supposed, goldware, had been set out for everyone.

"If you steel any of that," Boyage told him gruffly with a laugh, "It'll cost you two hundred credits."

"Yes! The Don is right!" The minions cried. Grodek decided to call them Left, and Right, since they both arranged themselves on the same side of Boyage every time.

A moment later, Flit, Emily and Yurin filed into the room, being led by a lovely woman in a black and red maid's outfit. The woman bowed and departed while Left and Right arranged their seating positions. Grodek noticed that Flit received the favored seat at Boyage's right.

"I was wondering who would receive the special seat," Grodek said, smiling over at Boyage, who smiled back evenly.

"Well, I need to win him over to my cause, don't I?"

"Excuse me," Flit said, clearing his throat, "But why are you doing all of this, Mr. Boyage?"

"Call him Don!" Right and Left snapped.

"Shut up," Boyage called over at the two. "Now, Flit Asuno, allow me to extend my humblest regards to your mother and father. I was at your Father's funeral. Do you remember?"

"No," Flit said, looking down. "But I do remember an official from Fardain was supposed to attend my Mother's ceremony. Was that you, Don?"

"Your right. He is Don!"

"Shut up I said! Yes Flit, I was. But a rather nasty man from the EUBA remnant attacked my shuttle and I had to fight for my life. It was a mess, tore apart Loading Station D and E. I was so busy with the law entanglements of the aftermath; I never had a chance to extend condolences."

"I don't mind, my own family didn't attend, so it was a nice gesture on your part," Flit said.

"Ah," Boyage said, winking with a slowly nod. "I see. I was wondering why I never heard tale of you from my Ears in Solon City. So you don't get along with your aunt?"

Flit gritted his teeth. "They only cared about my mother's mobile suit data she gave me. When I started working on the AGE project at my old home, Nora, which was destroyed recently, my aunt sent for me. I visited hear at Solon City. She pampered me about how sorry she was for me, then launched into all sorts of questions about the AGE device. She didn't even come to her own sister's funeral."

"Didn't come to your Father's either, I might add," Boyage said with a somewhat sympathetic, partially conspiratorial tone. "No wonder you didn't end up in Viceroy."

"You were going to live in Viceroy?" hissed Emily, who sat happily beside Flit. "Who is this aunt? Who cares if she doesn't care? I don't care. I want to live like this," she spread her hands wide to encompass the glorious, kingly table, and Yurin sitting quietly beside Grodek at the other end. Far away at on the other side, not next to Flit, Emily kept remembering.

"It's not like you would be living with me," Flit hissed, turning back to Boyage.

"Excuse me," Emily said standing up, "But I'm afraid I need to use the restroom for a moment.

"Go on," Boyage replied, giving Flit a stern look. "I have some things to discuss with your brother, so do hurry back."

"He thinks we're siblings," Emily fumed, watching Yurin giggle. _Oh, you just wait, Succubus Hex. _She stomped out the room. _That's it. _She flipped up her PDA. "Haro? Where are you?"

* * *

**Fardain airspace, Madorna Workshop**

"Hey there," Woolf said, stepping into the darkened storage room. Amy floated next to a dataport, fiddling with the internal circuitry.

"I'm talking to you, Wallflower. That means I want an answer."

"I know," She replied spinning around. "Do you need something?"

"Look," Woolf scratched at a hair ear, "I didn't mean to embarrass you. I mean, I can't help it if the roll becomes you," he shrugged with a smile.

"You think I"-

-She started as Woolf slid in right in front of her, leaning against the wall with an elbow. "Well, you're a bit too shy, unlike your mom."

"I'm sorry," Amy said moving back. "I don't mean to be. It's just complicated."

"I know you like me," Woolf said, his voice growing serious, a hand on his hip. "Okay, have a really hot crush on me. But most women do you understand. It's pretty common."

"Then why haven't you ever said anything?" Amy asked, her voice growing hurt. She darted toward the exit. "Do you just enjoy torturing my feelings?" She turned to go, but cried out as Woolf grabbed her arm and pulled her back. The two drifted in the center of the room for a moment.

"I don't dislike you," Woolf said, putting a hand against her face, thumb brushing against her red cheek. "To tell the truth, I get nervous just coming here, and my heart leaps every time I see you."

Amy stared at him in disbelief. "But, why haven't you said anything before now?"

"Because I can't imagine living my life with the woman who as the exact same face as my wife," Woolf replied simply, staring at her. "I get excited seeing you, because it's her face I see. Her body, her lips. You don't have the same voice. And her eyes were golden, not green." He laughed and put his hands to his temples. "I feel like I'm in some kind of sick soap opera," he turned to her, gesturing with his hand. "You're like a ghost of her taunting me."

"Sorry, but I'm the guy who sticks to something until the end. I lost her. I don't want to go back, and start over with someone who's just the same. Maybe if I had some closure. But I never found a trace."

"What happened to her?" Amy asked gently, floating closer.

"Just don't ask me again, and don't feel bad. You're pretty cute, someone will come and snatch you up someday, if you stop cowering in the corner," he took her hand and led her into the main hanger, where Madorna and Aren worked feverishly on a Shaldoll.

"I don't mean to be brutal," Woolf said, letting go, "But I'm not waiting for that special someone out there."

* * *

**Rafflesia Plaza Exclusive Resort (Boyage Residence)**

"The meal was the most excellent I have ever tasted," Yurin said. "Thank you for your hospitality, Don Boyage."

"The graceful one has it right!"

With a clap of his hands, Don Boyage had a host of servants sweeping in from the back rooms. The remnants of the delicious meal vanished.

"Now, moving onto business," Boyage turned to Flit as a waiter placed a glass of red wine in his open hand, "Grodek and I are making some plans. Are you privy to them, Mr. Asuno?"

"Call me Flit," he replied, "And what is Don talking about, Captain Grodek?"

"I'm on a special mission with the Federation," Grodek replied. "Even FTC doesn't know about it. We are trying to gather an army to destroy a UE fortress."

"What!" Flit cried, standing up.

"Until now, I couldn't tell you, because you are not an official member of the Federation Forces," Grodek replied. "But to all of you here, the plan should be revealed. We could use all of your help. But, if you do not want to come, now is the time to say no."

"Even if you don't," Boyage said, smiling at Flit, "Why not support Zalam with your Asuno name. With that impressive Gundam of yours, we could wipe the UE and those EUBA brats right off Fardain."

Flit scowled at Boyage. "I just heard a bit of history from a good friend of mine," Flit started, eyes burning. "I've learned quite a bit about Zalam and EUBA. How you all fought and killed ceaselessly for seventeen years before you finally stopped. And you're still doing it!" He yelled down at Boyage.

"Don!" Right and Left screamed running over to apprehend Flit.

"Stop," Boyage commanded. "back."

"Yes! The Don is right!" Right and Left scurried back behind Boyage's chair.

"Now, what do you have to say, Flit? Your father once did MS research for me, just so you know. Why, really, you have more reason to support Zalam than the Federation."

"Don Boyage!" A man screamed, throwing open the door to the dining room. "There's trouble in the Clair District! A teal mobile suit we believe to be a UE is rampaging! The Ezelcant Monument was also carried off moments ago by another one!"

"The UE!" Flit asked. "It's what I was afraid of, Don Boyage," he said, whirling on the man. "They are going to attack Fardain, just like they did with all the other colonies that have fallen!"

"Calm down, it's not that dire a situation," Boyage snapped. "Fardain is ancient beyond your reckoning. It's hundreds of years old, and its armored hide is pre-Silver Chalice. Those UE missiles don't work on it like they do with your Island Three type colonies. And we don't have an axial shaft either. There are no week points for them to exploit. And our Zila's can beat the crap out of the Federation Genoace, so we can just fend them off with mild damage to the city, at worst."

"Now, at the moment, this is convenient," Boyage said, eyes sparkling. "Clair is EUBA's territory. Nico, let them rampage a bit before sending in the Zila's," called Boyage to the man, who nodded and departed, shutting the door behind him.

"Strange they would try to take an old monument that our current history has little data on," Grodek said. "We only know it was erected for a former Gundam pilot during a war before the Silver Chalice Treaty. Why would they steal it?"

"Gundam?" Flit asked, surprised. "There was a monument like that here?! And I didn't see it?"

"This could be serious," Right said.

"Those Star's Harbingers, the Fire Priests, warn that a calamity, the 'Wrath of the Dragons' will descend on corrupt Fardain unless it renounces the Federation," Left said.

"When the Statue of Ezelcant is ripped from Fardain's soil," finished Right. "I fear there may be an uprising, a sheer panic in Fardain because of this, Don," Right said.

"After all, the teachings of Yark Dole the Monk have spread far and wide in popularity," Left said.

"Calm down," Boyage replied, taking a sip of wine from a glass. "We renounced Feddie control long ago. This colony is owned by Zalam and contested by EUBA remnants. We _don't _follow Federation law."

"Yes! The Don is right!" Right and Left chorused.

"Wait, are you not going to do anything at all?" Snapped Flit, pointing a finger at Boyage. "The UE could still cause a disaster! But you are using this like it's an opportunity! Don't you care about the lives of the people in Fardain over getting the better of EUBA? You are a human being! You have an obligation to people everywhere!"

"Enough of that," Boyage snapped. "If I helped them out, EUBA would suspect I was going soft on them."

"Don!" Another man burst into the room. "A UE battleship just materialized in front of Fardain's main spaceport!"

Grodek, Yurin, and Emily leapt to their feet, Grodek's chair falling over.

"It's firing on the colony with a beam barrage," the man continued, voice racing excitedly, terror in his eyes. "And a fleet of UE dragons are tearing apart Loading Station B!"

"And the Moonside Port? What about it?" Boyage asked. "Can our battleships get out?"

"At the moment."

Boyage turned to Grodek. "We just captured the anterior spaceport from EUBA control last year," he gave Flit an eye, "Because of that, we can get our space fleet into action pronto. Flit, I'm hoping you will help us fight in the Gundam?"

Flit scowled. "Yes."

In the meantime," Grodek said, "We need to figure out how in the world those UE can sneak into the colony so easily without being detected."

* * *

**Colony Fardain, Sublevel Four**

The emergency cargo hatch ponderously opened. Inside his normal suit, Iwark kept up a steady, calm breathing pattern. He had to remain calm. After a moment, the hatch was open, and he hurried to the level above. Minutes later, he was out of the suit and at the last door.

_Does this have to be done? All I wanted was Riria to grow up somewhere safe and peaceful. But they had to do this. _He placed his hands on the control and turned it. A moment later, the gigantic depressurization chamber opened the door, and a teal mobile suit floated silently upward with flash of violet light. Iwark watched it go as it vanished into the sublevels beyond.

A second one followed, then a third. Iwark turned away, just in time to see a group of hooded figures rushing toward him.

"Good, you did as was commanded of you, Iwark," Yark Dole said in his usual dead voice. "We must go now. Our shuttle is waiting."

"Why this?" Iwark asked. "Why do we have to do this to Fardain? I didn't think it was on the hit list. These people here don't deserve death!" He finally screamed in Yark's face, to no apparent affect. The man's stoic expression did not change, and his eyes did not flash with anger or surprise.

"Your time here away from home has softened you, Iwark Briar. Do not forget the sufferings of our people still trapped on Mars."

"I understand," Iwark sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "But I can't face Riria again. I'm staying here."

"That is unwise of you," Yark replied. "Don't think we have not given ample warning. We monks have been spreading the word without ceasing. Already, lifepod ships have been escaping constantly. We are gathering the faithful now, even as I speak. They will be raptured from our righteous revenge. Only the unrepentant shall perish."

"I know," Iwark replied. "But after living a lie for so long…

* * *

**Rafflesia Tower, front entrance**

"What is this?" Grodek asked Boyage.

Just ahead, a troupe of blue mobile suits barred the way to the limousine. One of them, which seemed different from the others, stepped forward and brandished a heat sword, raising it into the air.

"This is EUBA taking advantage of a situation," Boyage said, addressing Flit. "See, they do it too, kid."

"Attention, Zalam residue!" a young, sophisticated voice shouted over the loudspeaker. "By my hand, Ract Elfamel, I shall erase your old, grizzled stain from Fardain. After this, we shall deal with the UE threat. Too bad you will not live to see the alien invaders destroyed, Boyage. But, alas, that is fate." The sword descended.

"Farewell, and know that Fardain will remain in my capable hands."


	7. Chapter 7 Gutted Shell

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

* * *

**Chapter Seven Gutted Shell**

* * *

**Colony Fardain Main Spaceport, pier 127, ****_Diva_**

The massive warship popped out of nowhere, unleashing a devastating barrage that blew apart the space vessels moored in the port into hundreds of glowing pieces of flotsam. Adams and Onette Cory, both on the _Diva's _bridge, leapt out of their seats in trepidation.

Adams recovered quickly, rushing to Walt's console. "I'm taking the ship out of here," Adams called to Onette. "Punch into FTC and get the emergency shutter to close."

"But isn't that insubordination?"

"I don't care, we haven't been able to reach FTC, so they may have been taken out already. Besides, why would they object?"

Onette didn't argue anymore and hopped into Milias' chair, speaking rapidly into her earpiece and fiddling with the control board. "Emergency shutter is closing!"

Adams stared tensely at the gigantic pair of metal panels slowly shutting, looking like a metal jaw closing around the titanic UE battleship beyond.

A cannon shot splattered against the _Diva's _hull, but Adams noted the damage was minimal.

"I got in touch with the Captain," Onette said, spinning around, "But Vargas says neither the Gundam nor Genoace Custom is in the hanger bay!"

"Then send Largan out!" Adams snapped. "And where is Edward? Nevermind, just order the crew to man the guns."

Edward rushed in then, along with Milias. "I'm here," Edward yelled to Adams, landing in his seat and strapping in.

"Largan will be ready to launch in a second," Milias said as she switched out with Cory.

"Good," Adams replied, watching as the emergency shutter began to glow a brighter and brighter orange. shavings of molten metal flaked off, floating slowly away from the sweltering furnace.

In an instant, the shutter blew asunder in a rain of fiery shrapnel, a horde of Gafrans charged through, looking for the world like a swarm of bats screeching from an opening in hell. They angled off a saffron volley of beam fire. The _Diva _angled slowly out of the way, its docking pier blowing apart.

The _Diva's _main cannons just in front of the bridge tower launched several salvos, blowing apart two Gafrans in the swarm.

"Our primary mega particle cannons are online and functioning," Edward laughed. "This isn't going to be like at Nora, you bats!"

"I can see," Adams replied, glancing at the sensor board. _If that molten shrapnel hits we're in trouble. _

"Anti-MS cannons charged and ready to fire. Missile tubes loaded. Rear particle cannons charged," Edward checked off. "All weapons ready to fire."

"Launch all missiles at the Gafrans," Adams called, "and direct all your fire in the direction of the shutter. Angle us to the right so we can get some cover from what's left of it."

"Are you sure _all _the missiles," Edward asked uncertainly, finger wavering above the button.

"Yes! While they're trapped in here, we can damage them enough to force them into a retre"-

Everyone jerked in their seats as the _Diva_'s starboard side listed and collided with a civilian freighter, one of its golden wingtips embedded itself into the other ship's thick hull.

"Port side engine has received damage from shrapnel," Adams said, looking at his sensors, then rushed back to the pilot's seat. "And it appears the exaust port is covered with molten metal!"

"Blast it! I can't fly this ship like Walt can."

"This is Largan, when can I launch?"

"Just a minute Largan," Milias replied, "We're having trouble controlling the ship."

Adams peered at the viewport, watching a crisscrossing deluge of missiles playing a deadly game of tag with the Gafrans. He hated to admit it, but the Gafrans were winning.

"I count seven out of a total of twenty-four Gafrans," Edward said from the console, "all of those are heading for the shutter. It worked."

"Big problem incoming!" Onette screamed, now at Lino's vacant station.

"I can see," Adams replied almost dully, watching the orange UE Mothership as it battered its way through the shutter, sending the metal flying like thin paper as it unleashed a barrage of firepower.

"Not that," Onette snapped, "THAT!" She threw up an image on Adams' screen showing the Zedas just as it descended from on high. A crash shook the roof over their heads.

"It's on the bridge tower!" Milias screamed.

"I'm lowering us!" Adams yelled. The screens went red as the bridge retracted lower into the ship. Almost instantly, the ceiling flashed red hot and the lights went out in a rain of glass.

"Taken severe damage to bridge tower, looks like it's out," Onette screamed. "That thing is still on top of us!"

"Largan! LAUNCH NOW!" Screamed Milias as a torrent of beams showered the _Diva _from the mothership.

"Already on my way," Largan called.

* * *

Standing atop the half-melted bridge tower, the Zedas spread its legs and drew its wicked blade back, preparing to impale the retreating bridge crew.

Largan fired off a volley of shots; the Zedas did a cartwheel backwards and went inot an erratic spin in all directions. Largan knew the technique; it was designed to confuse which direction the Zedas would dart in next. The problem was there were very few counters.

The Zedas suddenly flashed off toward the colony, Largan boosted after the retreating machine, but gave up after a moment, realizing the chase was hopeless.

"Now," Largan's eyes went wide and he threw the Genoace back as the UE mothership past by, Gafrans swarming about it as if waiting for orders.

"What do we do now?" Largan asked Milias.

"Prey they think we are incapacitated," Milias' voice crackled.

* * *

**Vagan (UE) ****_Fa Bose class _****battleship, ****_Nidhogg_**

"Are you sure they are incapable of movement," Yark Dole droned in his usual, raspy, dead voice.

"Yes, Holy Monk," the subaltern replied. "Decil confirmed he smashed the bridge."

"Bring Galette on screen," Yark said.

The holoscreen flashed on, Decil's face appearing on the other end behind a luminous green helmet, his face twisted in a wild grin. "What do you want?"

"I ordered you to take a Baqto," Yark said.

"But it's too slow! I want the Zedas! I want the Zedas!" Decil whined, pounding his fists against the Zedas' control panel.

"Calm down," Yark soothed. "Do as ordered, but be aware of the enemy mobile suits. They are not quite as weak compared to your usual prey, Decil."

"You worry too much," Decil pouted, cutting the transmission.

"Level the spaceport and breach an opening into the colony interior," Yark commanded. "Then have us retreat immediately. The _Splinter _will arrive any minute."

"By your command, Holy Monk," the Technicians shouted.

* * *

**Fardain Interior, Boyage Residence**

"This is ridiculous!" Flit yelled, planting himself in front of Boyage, yanking his arm back as Grodek reached for it.

"Flit, get back," Grodek commanded.

"Brave fanatic you have there, Boyage," Ract called from his violet colored Elmeda suit. "See what a scheming old dog you are? Just look how far the mighty Mace of Zalam has fallen, hiding behind a child!" The Elmeda stepped forward, preparing to slice everyone on the steps of the Rafflesia tower to ribbons.

An instant later, Grodek was running up to the Elmeda. "Wait, Ract Elfamel," He screamed up at the machine. "I am Grodek Ainoa, a member of Command's special forces! I need to talk with you."

"Huh, as if a Federation dog worrying about his own hide is worth listening to," Ract replied, raising the Elmeda's foot to crush Grodek flat. "Die with honor and stop trying to worm your way out of death."

"It concerns file EZ6," Grodek yelled.

The Elmeda's foot returned to the ground, and its mooneye glowed dangerously. "If this is a trick to save your skin, Dog, I'll make sure you regret having ever been born."

"It is not," Grodek replied. "I came here to ask for EUBA's help. Even as we speak, the UE are laying waste to your Clair District, as well as the colony's airspace! I only wish to stop this alien threat. We can fight amongst ourselves later!"

"As if I need those pathetic old files," Ract responded. "There are other-better-pieces of data flying around you know." The leader seemed to be contemplating, and finally stepped the mobile suit backward. "But for the sake of regaining what was rightfully ours, we will let you live. But not Boyage, his era ends on his own steps!"

The Elmeda turned to see a white mobile suit pound up from the street and draw a beam saber, slashing apart one of the Xenos as it opened fire without apparent affect.

"Yes!" Flit cried, rushing to the AGE-1 as it bent down and opened its cockpit hatch.

"I call the copilot's seat," Emily yelled after Flit.

"It's too dangerous, get back to the _Diva," _Flit snapped.

"We don't even know what's happened there or how many UE are stalking the streets," Emily replied, hurrying up into the AGE-1.

"Yurin?" Flit asked watching her run past. "You don't have to help if you don't want to."

She turned back, locking gazes with him, her face set in a frown. "I must. People's lives are at stake. She nodded to him and clambered into the cockpit.

Flit soon followed, hopping in and once again finding Yurin seated on his lap.

"Welcome aboard," Haro called from behind the pilot's seat, on Emily's knees.

"I can't believe this," Emily muttered. "Why did I have to get the copilot's seat?"

"Yurin, there should be enough room in the copilot's chair for both of you," Flit said hesitantly as Yurin wordlessly strapped herself in, nestling comfortably in his lap. "I can be of more use this way," she responded, closing her eyes and clasping his hand.

"There are seven, one is nearby," Yurin said after a moment. Flit felt her power rush into his mind, and almost saw the green mobile suit, standing by some kind of memorial.

"The sensor's are picking up a strange signal too," Flit muttered.

"Child of the Horned Mobile Suit," Ract's voice came over the comm. Flit looked to see a young man in a dark violet and red pilot's suit staring at him in the chat screen. "Leave Fardain to us. This is of no concern of the Federation Forces."

Boyage appeared on another screen, this one a shaky image from a PDA. "I'm heading to the Anterior Port to launch our ships and get my personal MS, Flit. This is your choice to help out or not. But if I were you, I would deal with the enemy inside the colony right now."

"I agree with him," Grodek's voice sounded from Boyage's comm. "I can't get a hold of the _Diva, _so I assume things are quickly getting out of our control."

"I understand," Flit said. "But I'm picking up something odd on the sensor. Mr…Lord Elfamel, I'm heading north east of here to the first target. Gundam can get there faster, so I'll alert you to what I find and then head for the spaceport."

"Hold it, I agreed to let you live, I never said I would work with the Zalam dogs!" Ract objected, pointing toward a Xeno preparing to reduce Boyage's limo to smithereens.

"Can't you see that your old vendetta is ridiculous?" Flit snapped. "Holding onto a war that's long over is pointless. Will your honor mean anything to EUBA once Fardain is destroyed?"

Flit turned the Gundam about and boosted forward, racing through the streets, dodging cars frantically trying to avoid a trampling.

"Fine, but if they get in my way they die," Ract called after him.

"Flit!" Vargas' voice called over the comm. "Where are you?" His voice sounded muffled and the transmission constantly broke in with a burst of static.

"I'm in the colony, Emily and Yurin are with me."

"Don't forget me!" Haro chimed, flapping angrily.

"Well get over here quick, the AGE Builder is cooking up something big. And the _Diva's _in trouble. The hanger has leaks. I think the bridge is damaged, I'll get in touch with you when the upgrade parts are finished."

The transmission ended abruptly. Either Vargas cut it in a hurry, or something bad on that end had happened.

"Grandpa," Emily muttered, she clutched at Haro a little tighter. The situation felt so tense, the vibrating of the Gundam as it pounded along made her whole spine shiver.

"We'll be fine Emily," Yurin said after a moment.

Emily looked around to see Yurin leaning down to look at her.

"We have Flit with us, right?"

"It's coming," Flit announced, the Gundam slid to a halt and drew the DODS rifle.

Up ahead, in the green field with the Colony War monument resting at its center, the Baqto crouched on the ground, fixing up some sort of glowing device. The UE machine rose as its visor flashed.

"This will be a tough fight," Haro yelled. "The DODS rifle and beam weapons don't work too good."

"I remember," Flit started, his eyes widening at the memory. "But surely it has to have a weakness somewhere."

The Baqto transformed and rushed forward, whipping up a storm of grass blades as it dashed overhead. Flit ducked the Gundam beneath the attack and fired a blast at the enemy's tail, but the Baqto dodged and landed, unleashing five beam blasts from its chest. The AGE-1 rocketed into the air, firing off three more rounds, this time all at the Baqto's head. The UE raised its arm, and just as the blasts connected, he thought he saw a flash of transparent yellow light.

"It has some sort of shield," Flit reasoned, eyes focused on the flashes as the beams connected.

"You might want to conserve ammunition," Yurin suggested helpfully, glancing at him. "You're starting to panic again."

"No," Flit replied, "This wasn't a waste," he took the Gundam into a barrel dive, maneuvering away from a hail of beam fire from the enemy's tail and chest cannon. "I saw it has some kind of coating all over its body," he fired a round that spun wildly against the Baqto's foot. It showered into millions of bright particles, illuminating for an instant a bright coating protecting the uninjured UE.

The Gundam landed and used the jets in its feet to slide across the sward, firing off a continuous salvo at the Baqto as it raced for the strange device on the ground, which Flit was taking to be some kind of explosive, as it looked very much like a landmine.

"They plan on blowing up the colony from inside!" Emily yelled. "Right?"

"That's what I'm guessing," Flit yelled, gritting his teeth as the Baqto lurched forward.

"Regardless," he stopped suddenly and slashed at the incoming Baqto with the bayonets. The machine blocked the attack meant for its head with its arm, causing a luminous oval shield to appear for an instant as it hurled the beam saber blade aside and jumped back.

"There, you see Yurin?" Flit asked with a grin, "whatever it has on its body isn't on the head, at least not enough, so it blocks with its arm, which has some kind of energy field of the same property, only in more abundance."

"How nasty," Emily frowned, glancing around the seat, "so it was made to lure enemies into thinking it was unprotected, while actually having invisible defenses." She turned back to the glowing plate on the ground, numerous veins of light running in web-like patterns on its surface. A beacon steadily began to flash at its center.

"The mine, Flit!" Emily cried, not sure if it would detonate.

"That's not what I feel from it," Yurin began, but Flit cut her off.

"Lord Elfamel," Flit called through the comm. "We found the teal UE suit, and it placed a mine here in the field with the Colony State War Memorial."

"I see," Elfamel replied, "we encountered some of its friends doing the same in another district. I hate to say it, but I can't get to you. It appears EUBA must humbly request your assistance in this crisis after all. Any chance you know when it shall detonate?"

"It started flashing a second ago," Flit replied, "But a friend here says that it might not do it for some time, right Yurin?"

"Not right away, but I sense peril coming from that thing," she replied hesitantly.

Suddenly the Baqto rushed forward, kicking the Gundam back with a sickening thud.

"I-infrastructure warning!?" Flit screamed as a schematic appeared, showing that another kick like that would crush the Gundam's armor inward.

"Its physical power is incredible," He realized as the Baqto leapt at him, claw drawn back. Flit barely had time to move aside as the claw swept in, tearing off the Gundam's shoulder armor and sending it crashing to the ground. Before Flit could do anything, the Baqto's hand reached down, its beam machinegun barrel glowing.

* * *

**Frigate ****_Diva, _****Spaceport**

Bridge reduced to a slag mound and smoke pouring from its clogged portside engine, the _Diva_ spun almost lazily into the side of the spaceport's right wall, its anti-MS guns pulsing with light as they pumped rose-colored beams into the hurricane of fire. Most of the attacks from the enemy battleship were being directed straight into the port. Most of the piers had been reduced to liquid metal in seconds, providing yet another hazard for the hundreds of ships desperately making for the exit.

The Gafrans picked all of these off one by one, tearing them apart into shredded pieces of debris, outright melting the vessels, or letting their engines explode them into miniature suns.

One of the _Diva's _mega particle cannons had been destroyed by a heap of molten steel, but the remaining cannon was successfully keeping the marauding MS at bay. But everyone knew that the machines were not targeting it primarily at the moment. And when they did, it would be different story for the _Diva's _lone turret.

"When will that engine be fixed Vargas?" Milias yelled through her earpiece. "We don't have much time before those aliens and their mothership run out of other targets.

"I'm hurrying," Vargas snapped. "But you don't just scrape steel away from an engine block like it's mud. It has to be heated up. And we don't want that because the ship's engines are already overheated from not being able to release the thrust. That's caused problem's too. Do want details on that?"

"Don't get smart," Milias snapped, "We're barely hanging on up here as it is."

"I have it!" Adams snapped his fingers. "Howard?"

"What?" The man asked, sweat pouring down his face. "You think targeting those stupid bat lizards is easy? They move a lot quicker than you think."

"Do we have any missiles left at all?"

"You said to fire them all," the man replied, "So I did."

"Surely we have a back-up supply."

"We do, but not many are left, I had the tubes reloaded and fired again," Howard insisted, "there aren't many left for us to do anything good."

"I disagree. We're going to fire them on the port engine and destroy that slag blocking the thruster."

"That's crazy, but it might work," Milias said with a smile, "We're done for anyway."

"Vargas, get your worker pods away from the engine and back to the _Diva's _hanger," Milias commanded.

"Sheesh, make up your mind," Vargas complained as the yellow worker units broke away from the engine like a swarm of bees. "I thought you wanted it fixed," he snapped.

Moments later a triplet of missiles struck, blowing off the metal. The engine unleashed a blast of exhaust, and the _Diva _started ponderously forward.

"Well I'll be," Vargas called, looking back at the freed engine, "that was smart work."

"Now we just have to get out of here," Milias sighed, feeling some of the tension leave as she felt the ship moving.

"This…Adams, we have serious trouble!" Onette said, trying to keep her voice calm as the ship rocketed out of the whirling maelstrom of heat inside the spaceport.

"Don't tell me," Adams watched as the enemy vessel fired a series of particularly powerful cannon blasts, ripping through the metal coating of the spaceport wall and opening a sizable gap, exposing the colony to vacuum.

"Are they trying to land inside?" Milias yelled.

"I wish," Onette replied. "They're backing out after us!"

"Gafrans incoming," Howard yelled, rotating the anti-MS cannons around to bring up a screen of cover fire.

"Up ahead!" Adams exclaimed, eyes wide as a black ship that looked vaguely like a _Darwin class _battleship rushed out of Loading Station C, its black hull fading from view in the shadows beyond.

"What are they doing, turning tail and running?" Adams hissed. "It must've been a pirate vessel."

"Disregard that," a man came over Milias comm. "A bunch of Bisidian looters tried to get at our freighters during the uproar, but we have the situation under control now." As the bridge crew listened, a trio of _Chalcedony class_ ships raced out of the station in formation, arcing down to come alongside the retreating _Diva. _

"EUBA CruxFleet at your service," the man on the other end called. "We are prepared to fight to the death. Have you received word from FTC about reinforcements?"

Milias frowned and then quickly recovered at the sight of the EUBA ships, glancing at her screen. "Well, we haven't been able to contact them." She looked at the monitor, showing the docking bays beside Loading Station B for the Federation defense fleet empty save for two _Darwins, _and they were not moving.

"What happened here?" Adams roared. "We receive no orders or response from the control center of our fleets!" He threw up his hands in total disbelief.

"Incredible," Milias said, staring at the two dormant Federation ships. "Only two _Darwins. _Were we sold out?" She whispered, realizing that the coincidence of the primary defense fleet for Fardain being absent during such a full-scale assault was extremely unlikely.

"Another UE battleship is in sensor range!" screamed Onette. "Bearing directly ahead! It's on a collision course!"

Everyone snapped their heads around to the main monitor just in time to see a second UE mothership materialize in front of them and launch a stream of firepower in their direction.

Adams twisted the _Diva's _controls, sending the nimble ship darting to the enemy vessel's starboard side and behind a goliath freighter that was desperately attempting to flee Fardain's airspace.

Behind the _Diva, _two of the _Chalcedony _warships suffered heavy blows from the attack. Venting smoke, the three battleships broke away, trailing fire as the UE mothership raced between them, unleashing a horde of missiles that arced after one of the _Chalcedony's _with a flash of purple exhaust. They pursued the poor ship like wolves, striking the main engine, then the bridge, blowing the ship apart in a starburst of fire.

"That's one less ally," Adams grunted. "I'm turning around; we can't run while that alien ship just tears the colony to shreds!"

"Adams, Milias," Vargas called over the comm. "We have issues inside the colony. The enemy is setting up explosives! We think."

"What?" Milias cried, eyes going wide, she felt something tinge in the back of her consciousness. "That…doesn't seem right."

"What do you mean?" Adams asked.

"I don't know, it just..."

"Regardless, we need to get to Flit, he's fighting a new UE mobile suit without the right equipment. I have a major upgrade, but we need to have the AGE-1 onboard to install it," Vargas continued.

"Alright, we'll head for the Anterior Port," Adams said, angling the ship around. "Attention Crux Fleet, we're heading to the private Anterior Port to regroup. The enemy is preparing to demolish Fardain from within."

"That doesn't make sense," the captain on the other end said after a second. "Fardain's shell is too hard. And we got word of only seven or eight devices."

"Well, we'll figure this out after we regroup, follow us," Adams said, putting the _Diva _to maximum thrust. The arrowhead ship flashed ahead, speeding along the rim of Fardain's mirror panels as they rotated past. Suddenly the panel itself exploded. Adams turned back to see the first UE mothership racing behind them, demolishing the panel as it collided with the orange ship's hull.

Two shots struck the rear of the _Diva _just below the bridge tower remnants, sending warning alarms flashing as the ship vented a vapor cloud and personnel. It ignited, turning the _Diva_ into a comet as it raced around to the Anterior Port, narrowly avoiding a pounding shower of firepower and missiles as the enemy battleship whipped past. The mothership spun with disturbing speed, angling around to continue the pursuit.

Adams opened his mouth in surprise as the _Diva_ flew between a fleet of six lime-colored battleships, all pumping fire into the orange and black hull of the pursuing ship, which unleashed a volley of purple-tinted missiles that shredded the two leading battleships to burning shreds.

"Adams!" Grodek's voice called over the comm. "_Get the_ _Diva into the port, now!" _

"Aye aye Captain," Adams said quickly, beads of perspiration flying from his face as the _Diva _lanced into the port, the other ships, _Sing-Lung _by the look of them, came in hot on its heels. The enemy mothership gave birth to a fleet of violet lights, and Adams caught his heart in his throat as he realized it was an approaching storm of missiles.

"We have no room to maneuver," he screamed as the lights rushed to meet him.

A pair of metal jaws slowly descended, coming together to block the incoming storm.

"The shutter," Adams said after a moment, looking at the rust-colored metal, scarred and pitted from hundreds of battles.

"It's an original, made of the same material as Fardain's shell," Grodek responded over the comm. "According to Don Boyage, who's in charge of this fleet, the old doors in the main spaceport were destroyed or removed. These however, remained functional, he says."

"But won't then enemy break through?" Milias asked.

"According to him, missiles like those won't be a problem," Grodek said with apparent unease. "Still, we have to go out and face them eventually. I'd call it siege, if we didn't have a host of them inside Fardain itself."

"I guess we wait," Adams said, sitting back and staring at the metal door, the only thing protecting the _Diva _from the alien menace beyond.

* * *

**Fardain Interior**

The Baqto's hand descended, but instead of feeling the cockpit shake violently, Flit looked up to see Largan Drace's Genoace standing over him, using it's heat stick to hold the enemy suit's beam saber at bay.

"Get going to the _Diva, _Flit," Largan snapped. "Remember, the girls are with you. You can't just endanger yourselves needlessly."

"He's right," Flit said after a moment, getting the Gundam to its feet. "Alright, I'm heading to the _Diva," _he called, boosting away with all the speed the Gundam could muster.

"And hurry back, I don't know how long I can hold this guy off," Largan said.

When the AGE-1 had departed, Largan took a step forward and readied himself. "Alright, let me show you what a normal pilot can do," he said, taking out the spray gun.

The UE MS seemed almost disappointed as it stalked forward, obviously intent on destroying Largan in one blow.

Largan nimbly pulled the Genace back as the Baqto took a swipe, then jumped and planted a foot right between the UE's own feet and fired its spray gun right up into the Baqto's face repeatedly. The machine grabbed the Genoace and hurled it back, then darted forward with impressive agility for something so heavy, its chest cannon glowing, unleashing five long spears of light to impale the helpless Genoace.

* * *

**Frigate ****_Diva, _****Anterior Spaceport dock**

"That's the new upgrade," Flit asked in awe, staring at a set of legs and arms, all thickly armored and painted crimson. The shoulder armor was shaped like a ball, and Flit could only imagine how much the thing overall must weigh.

"Initiating alteration," Vargas called hurriedly. "I don't have much time to explain it myself, as the Engine Room needs me, so read over the manual. This one was designed with heavy assault in mind. After looking over the enemy suit's schematics, the AGE System created a pair of DODS fists for the AGE-1, so it could pummel into the enemy armor with the weight of the mobile suit behind it. It also has a pair of DODS rifles fastened on the back, you can fire them over each shoulder."

The changing platform's arms slowly detached and raised the AGE-1's arms and legs off the main body, then replaced them with a heavy click with the new parts. Flit watched the control board darken then light up again, this time the panel was filled with a totally different layout, giving him a quick overview of all the weapons the new machine had at its disposal.

He looked down below, where Yurin and Emily watched apprehensively from the gantry.

"I'm heading out," Flit called over the loudspeaker. "Stand back and open the hanger doors."

* * *

**Fardain Interior, Clair District**

The Baqto happily crushed the torso of the Zila, ignoring the grenades, missiles, and machinegun fire the Xenos and Zilas poured into it. Or rather, poured on it; nothing even scratched the UE as it finished flattening the Zila. With that task completed, the Baqto folded its arms and withstood the onslaught impassively.

"I'm pleased I joined the battle myself," Yark Dole admitted with a touch of humor as he watched the enemy relentlessly attack him. They would run out of ammo soon. And when they did, he would show them the difference between their meager power and his own.

"I am sure everything is going well in the fleet battle, the _Diva _could not possibly escape my _Nidhogg_."

He glanced at the glowing control panel in front of him. "Decil will be done with the homing beacons soon. Good. I am growing impatient with these weaklings."

A sensor flashed, indicating that one of the Baqto's signals had been lost.

"What on Earth?" Yark Dole droned, staring at the screen in bewilderment. He sighed and shook his head, clearing it of his battle lust. A moment later, he tapped into his senses, feeling the place where the Baqto had been before. "Ah, there you are, a speedy little devil are you?"

He unfolded the Baqto's arms and unleashed a storm of beam machinegun fire, reducing the mobile suit force to a brisant ruin. "Now that the trash is out of the way, I will deal with the likes of this formidable foe."

"In the name of EUBA!" A voice shouted over the loudspeaker. Yark looked on as an Elmeda carrying a diamond-shaped shield pounded into view, running full tilt with a glowing heat sword in one hand, raised above its head.

Yark Dole dodged the enemy's stroke, then came up with a battering uppercut that sent the Elmeda sprawling across the road and into a building, dust flying everywhere. He activated the beam machinegun and peppered the enemy, who raised the shield to block and then darted forward, then boosted around to flank the Baqto, slashing its torso with the sword.

"Oh, surely not you," Yark thought aloud, certain that this was not the foe who felled the Baqto.

The Elmeda struck his Baqto's tail with all its might, only to have the sword break in half. Yark Dole grinned wolfishly and lowered the tail cannon, blasting off the enemy MS' right arm, sending it crumpling to the ground.

Inside the Elmeda, Ract pounded his fist against the screen and then haltingly tried to raise his fallen weapon. "I can't fall now, not with Fardain in its greatest crisis. Well, at least my 'artifacts' got away. Angrazzo will take them to his base safely, I am confident. But it means nothing if I die here."

"Looking good down there kid," Boyage's voice called from his personal unit, an orange Gala model, carrying a massive morning star mace combined with a javelin on the other end.

"Leave Fardain's deliverance to Zalam. Now watch how a real mobile suit ace conducts battle, ZAAALAAAM!" Screamed Boyage, charging forward, hefting his mace weapon and slamming it against the Baqto's raised arm, forcing it down so that the Gala could unleash a burst of rounds from its machinegun installed in the head of the mace.

* * *

"I see even a pilot has his limits," Largan said painfully, holding his bruised shoulder as his Genoace was lifted helplessly into the air by its head to the Baqto's chest cannons.

"This, this can't be the end," Largan growled, eyes twitching. "I just took Milias out on our first date too. I'm not going to died here!" He tried to raise the Genoace's heat stick, but the UE's free hand yanked it away and crushed it in front of the Genoace's camera.

The cannons glowed and prepared to fire. Suddenly, a crimson fist punched a hole into the Baqto's torso. Staggering away, the Baqto released its grip on the Genoace and started venting smoke from its wound.

A huge red object firmly ensconced itself in front of Largan, just as the UE unleashed a powerful series of beams. Largan shut his eyes. When he looked up, the mobile suit was standing tall, its armor glossy and undamaged.

"Largan, are you alright?" Flit asked over the comm., his concerned face appearing onscreen.

"Flit?!" Largan asked, leaning forward, "That's the AGE-1?"

"No, its Gundam Titus," Flit replied. "The AGE System designed it to fight these teal UE."

Inside the Titus, Flit looked at the UE, still standing and ready to fight. It had taken a direct blow from the DODS fists, yet it was still fighting. That was what made these aliens so formidable. Nothing stopped them.

The Baqto's chest cannons glowed and fired another barrage, this one continuous as it began to advance, visor glowing maliciously as it raised its tail cannon and glowing palms to increase its firepower, the light of its blasts racing over its sleek armor.

The Gundam Titus stepped forward, its two DODS rifles flipped over its shoulders and fired off three rounds each, battering the Baqto and sending it back a step. Flit charged, the earth shaking as the Titus covered the distance in three great strides and dealt the teal UE machine an uppercut that sent it flying into the sky.

The Titus Jumped up after the UE, clamping its fists together to smash in the monster's head. But the UE transformed into its dragon mode and whipped around behind the Gundam, firing its tail cannon into the Titus' back, damaging its thruster.

Flit sent the Gundam into a roll, charging the DODS fist and coming up with a glancing punch that knocked the Baqto back as it swept in with five beam spikes ignited. The mobile suit landed, righting itself by unleashing a flurry of violet flashes from its head's wings as they folded back into a protective helmet. The UE's shoulder spike suddenly glowed, and it swung its shoulder, launching a jagged spike surrounded in a saffron beam that cut at the Titus' leg. The boomerang sailed up into the sky and whirled around for another attack.

Flit jumped away from the spinning energy blade, raising the Titus' arm just in time to block a glancing beam from the Baqto's tail cannon. The teal UE charged over and hurled the Titus into the nearest building, following up with a volley of beam cannon blasts.

Curled into a ball, the Titus easily withstood the barrage. Eyes scanning the cockpit while keeping an eye on the enemy, Flit tried to look more carefully over the Titus' new weapons. It was fairly covered in them. He had to do this, he had to stop the UE, all of them. One kill would not do this time, and he refused to ask Yurin for help again. She was right, if he could not learn to pilot on his own, he would never accomplish anything.

* * *

**Anterior Spaceport dock, ****_Frigate Diva_**

_When I finish planting all the markers, I'll pay the Gundam a visit. Maybe Ms. Violet will be there._

Yurin shot up from her seat inside the AGE Builder's control room and rushed out of the room, throwing on the helmet to her normal suit. She didn't hesitate a second, the voice was clear in her mind. _That voice_ again, the pilot of the Zedas.

"I'm coming Flit. Upgrade or no, I can't let you face that thing again alone." She wanted to help him, wanted him to learn to fight by himself without her coming along as a weapon. She hated using her powers, but she hated the idea of losing Flit more.

"Wait," Emily called, coming up beside Yurin. "What's the rush?"

"Warn everyone!" Yurin cried. "We have to get everyone out of the colony now, before it's too late."

"What are you talking about?" Emily asked, growing flustered. "Where are you going?"

"That Zedas is coming after Flit again," Yurin replied, trying to stay calm but failing miserably, "I have to go. It's my fault he's out there alone! He isn't ready. He doesn't know how to use his power yet, I should have shown him." She stopped in surprise as Emily grabbed her by the arm.

"You can't go, not if you're so sure we need to get away from here!"

"I have to, I have use my power to help."

"I thought you wanted Flit to grow into a real pilot," Emily snapped.

Yurin jerked her hand free and entered the air lock. "I guess you were right after all, Emily. I care more about Flit. More than what I know is best for him." The door slid shut.

* * *

**Fardain Interior**

"What do you mean you're under attack by a white mobile suit?" Yark Dole snapped. "You are in a superior Baqto, a weak, pathetic Earthrace MS should be no problem, white or not."

"It took out Dezo's Baqto," the man on the other end wailed. "It's too fast! It's got beam swords! It has the face of a Gundam"-His voice disappeared in a loud crash that made Yark's eardrums ache.

"I see I finally have description for this mysterious enemy," Yark dole thought, rubbing the metal chin of his mask. "I assume it isn't the Gundam, I can tell it's still by the memorial. So what could it be?"

"Don't stand there idling when I'm still moving!" Growled Don Boyage from the Gala as the orange Ms rose, its body battered and dented, its mooneye flickering. It raised its mace and let loose a salvo of bullets.

* * *

The Baqto stumbled backward, then transformed and darted skyward, landing atop a flower-shaped platform filled with villas and gardens. The Baqto looked down and fired its chest cannons at full power. The beams traced a jagged series of paths through the city below, then set the whole area beneath the platform into a fireball.

A white blur shot from the sea of flames and landed behind the Baqto, turning around slowly to regard it with cold aquamarine eyes. They flashed, and the machine brought out an unlit beam saber hilt of surprising size, with a hand guard attached.

"It's time to show off my new mobile suit," Woolf said inside the cockpit. The boosters on the back of his machine fired up just as the enemy lunged forward with a punch.

The white MS blocked the strike with its shield, letting the UE punch it back. A second later, the UE grabbed the white machine and whirled it around to the ground. The white mobile suit fired up its boosters and slid under the UE's cannon blast, activated its beam saber and drew out the second from the holster on its back.

"The G-Exes, aside from being awesome, has other selling points besides superior maneuverability and speed," Woolf smiled. The other saber activated with a flourish.

The UE's helmet opened up and drew back, like a pair of dragon's horns, and it darted forward, violet light flashing all over its body sporadically. The machine easily rushed past Woolf, who barely had time to dodge as the tail ignited a massive beam sword from its cannon's barrel.

The G-Exes sprang over it and frontflipped to the ground, crossing its beam sabers. "And when its speed doesn't do the trick, I can rely on its high-output beam sabers. I call them"-The G-Exes flashed forward, leaving an afterimage behind. It slid to a stop in front of the Baqto, the UE's arm raised with its saber ignited. It's tail suddenly fell off, smoking, then its left shoulder.

Woolf flipped the G-Exes' hand around and stabbed the blade into the Baqto's belly, still crouched. Rising, the G-Exes kicked the mobile suit back and drew its swords together in an X slash the cut the Baqto to pieces as it blew apart, "-Wolf's Fangs."

"And of course," Woolf said, eyes narrowing smugly, "the greatest selling point is that I-Woolf Enneacle-am the pilot."

* * *

Amidst a throng of screaming people, Yurin fought her way to an open space and began to run. She couldn't see the plaza, but she _had_ to find Flit. She saw a vacant hover bike and started toward it, but just as she did so, her consciousness heard a scream for help and she whirled around to find a burly man grabbing Riria Brier by the hair and dragging her to a dark colored van.

Yurin hopped aboard the bike and gunned the engine, spun around and roared forward, eyes narrowed. _I'm not playing chicken, I can sense your fear, you filthy pimp, _she menaced with her eyes. The man dropped Riria and ducked as Yurin sailed overhead.

Yurin angled the bike to the right and leapt off, shoulder rolling to a crouch as the hover bike crashed into the van's front window and blew it apart.

The villain got to his feet and ran off, disappearing into the crowd as Riria ran up to Yurin, latching onto her leg. "Ms. Yurin," she screamed, tears running down her face. "Papa was getting on with the monks, then turned back and ran here. I-I tried to find him but-ah I can't find him! And then that man grabbed me," she whimpered, looking around wildly.

"Riria! Thank God you're alright!" Iwark yelled, racing up, shouldering his way through the morass. He bent down and scooped up his daughter, then stared at Yurin for a moment. "Go," he said, handing the screaming girl to Yurin. "I have to help people evacuate."

Yurin nodded, mind racing. What was going on here?

Suddenly the individual shouts and screams of the crowd united in a shriek of panic as Boyage's Gala exploded through a building, crashing down into the middle of the street, its elbow stump sparking.

A Baqto emerged from the skyscraper's interior a moment later, its visor sending a green search light through the crowd, causing an even greater uproar of terror; Yurin held her ears, she hadn't thought the people could get any louder. She stopped and realized she herself was screaming, and turned to run, holding a struggling Riria trying to get back to her father.

Iwark watched his daughter and Yurin go, then raced toward the Baqto as it hefted Ract's Elmeda above its head and bent it in-two. The Baqto hurled one half into another skyscraper, raining glass on the already frantic pedestrians, the other half, the upper torso, on top of the Gila.

Stomping forward, the Baqto hovered over the crowd, scattering them like millions of ants, and settled into a crouch in front of Iwark, who stood unafraid as the wind whipped past his hair. The visor slid open, revealing a red ball that soon irised open as well. A man in a dark cloak stepped out, the wind catching his cowl and whipping it about his head.

"Iwark, what are you doing here you fool!?" Yark Dole bellowed as he reached Iwark on the ground, holding onto his hood as the wind tore at it. "I told you to leave with Riria, she needs you more than these Earthrace heathens."

"Shut up, Yark!" Iwark yelled. "I knew you would be here. I'm helping as many escape as I can, but now that I met up with you," he drew a pistol. "I'll stop you here and now!"

"It doesn't matter if you kill me," Yark said. "I came to rescue you, when I sensed you and Riria's presences. Where is she? You can both escape in the Baqto after I'm departed. It's the only thing fast enough to get you out in time."

"She's with a girl I saved from _you_ earlier," Iwark yelled over the wind after a moment's pause, dropping the gun. "Save them or I swear I will haunt you to the ends of hell."

With that Iwark rushed toward a security hatch and punched in a number. Yark had sealed it and others like it shut so no one could get into the escape pods. With a final press of a button, the door was open and the people were rushing in.

"Fool!" Yark yelled. "You plan to die here and leave your daughter behind?" He screamed as Iwark grabbed three small boys in his arms and helped them and their mother fight through the throng.

"It's my decision," he roared back to Yark, "consider it me atoning for your sins!"

Yark Dole Briar clinched his fists and shook his head with disbelief. "If it weren't for our blood ties I would have let you die!" He bellowed back. "Brothers, who needs them anyway?" He muttered to himself, stalking back to the Baqto. "You made your choice, Iwark. Now suffer the consequences."

* * *

The Titus burst out of the cloud of debris, arms up at its sides like a boxer prepared to fight. Flit flipped the switch, opening the arms at the forearms. A pair of spinning beam rings appeared a moment later. He slammed the Titus' fists together and brought its arms down to its sides as the Baqto charged. It spun around, its tail cannon igniting a beam sword. Flit sent the Titus forward at full power, raising one arm.

"Beam Lariat!" The Titus ducked under the slashing yellow blade and slammed its arm into the Baqto's back. The blade ripped the Baqto asunder in a plume of fire, pelting the Titus as it rose to its feet, crimson armor reflecting the blast like a mirror.

"There," Flit growled. He glanced back around, only to find that Largan had gone on back to the _Diva, _he hoped, anyway.

He started to follow suit when suddenly he stopped the Gundam in mid movement. Something pricked his consciousness. What was it? He whirled around, using the foot boosters to skid around a beam boomerang as it flashed past. He fired a DODS rifle round at it, the beam removing the energy and leaving the blade whirling helplessly to the ground, where it impaled the trampled dirt.

Flit looked up to see the skyscraper collapsing, cut in half by the Baqto's beam weapons. The teal UE mobile suit flashed its visor and dove down amidst the wreckage.

Turning on the boomerang, Flit meant to crush it before the enemy could recover the weapon, but gasped in surprise as it spurted a flash of purple light and spun lazily into the air, then rapidly increased its rotation, reigniting its energy blade and slashing off one of the DODS rifles in an instant as it flashed by.

Flit turned back just in time to see the building's rubble fall upon him with a crash that sent him to the ground. The last thing he saw was the Baqto transform and ignite five wicked beam talons from its chest cannon and dive for him, visor blaring green.

* * *

"You want us to do _what?" _Left asked incredulously. "Don, you are always right, except for this one time."

"Shut up or I'll gut you on the Gila's headspike," Boyage snarled. "I'm telling you to assist the Crux fleet engaging the alien mothership outside the Anterior Spaceport. Don't make me repeat myself."

"Y-yes. Don is right! I think…"

Boyage keyed off the transmission as he and the Elmeda were pushed by worker pods into the hanger of his flagship, the _Mei-Feng_.

"You didn't have to do that," Ract called over the comm. "The Crux are holding their own just fine now that all of the battleships are out of Station C."

"I'm doing this for Fardain's sake," Boyage snapped back. "And…that boy. I guess what he said caught me off guard. How we were both trying to outdo each other even while Fardain faced an alien invasion that has destroyed every other colony they attacked so far. But this is a temporary truce! I still haven't forgotten when you attacked me on the way to a funeral."

"I apologize," Ract replied after a moment, his face wry. "If you believe that. So…" he looked askance at the screen, "want to help me do a good deed?"

"What is it," Boyage asked gruffly.

"Well, most of them are still on Loading Station C, we can get them into the transports and hopefully escape without the UE killing them off."

"I'll help, but only for their sakes," Boyage replied. "And I get half of them afterward to bolster my forces. Got it?"

"It's a deal."

"It's a done deal then. Right, this is Boyage, open the shutter and get us into battle! Our destination is Loading Station C….Yes I'm being serious! Do as I say!"

* * *

**Vagan (UE) ****_Fa Bose class _****battleship, ****_Splinter_**

Geera Zoi raised his hand, the Technicians watching for it to lower, their breaths held. "With this move, I declare victory in this battle," Geera affirmed loudly at the screen of Fardain before him. "Fire all Colony Busters! Don't bother aiming. The beacons are all set!" He lowered his hand.

* * *

**Just outside Anterior Spaceport, ****_Frigate Diva_**

"More firepower toward the center, drive a wedge of beams between them and us," Grodek commanded from the captain's seat. He glanced over at Milias. "Well, what's the status of Fardain's interior?"

"Four out of seven enemy machines are down," Milias said after a moment, "according to Zalam and EUBA. But can we trust them?"

"Why not? They've offered to help save Nora's survivors from Station C," Grodek supplied. "Get us between the _Chalcedonies _and _Sing-Lung_," Grodek commanded. "We have superior armor and can take more hits. Use the anti-MS batteries to target enemy missiles."

"Milias, Adams, don't you both have a strange feeling about the enemy mines?" Grodek asked. "Do we have visuals of them?"

"Let me ask Zalam," Onette supplied.

Grodek looked at his chair monitor. "It is strange they have yet to detonate them," he commented, "why wait unless they aren't mines at all." The picture came up on the screen, revealing a missile homing beacon sitting in front of a bus station.

"I knew it!" Grodek slammed his fist onto the armrest. "Milias," he waved his hand, "Get Flit out of there as fast as you can!"

"The breach they made in the wall was for missiles?" Milias asked, eyes widening as realization dawned. It had been just as her premonition warned her. "This can't be?"

"Flit," she thought, closing her eyes.

Instantly a green halo flashed into existence, and for a moment she felt she were diving into a green sea, the water parting, revealing Flit inside the Titus, struggling to throw off a green UE sprouting wicked looking talons from its chest.

"What was that?" Milias asked, looking wildly around the bridge. "Was…I the only one who saw it?"

* * *

Outside Colony Fardain, Jaden Takeo, within the confines of Woolf's old Genoace Custom, now painted a sleek black, watched as a storm of massive missiles flew from the three hanger bays of the enemy mothership. The warheads streaked into the spaceport and through the breach in the colony wall.

"Wait, what's happening?" He yelled, although he knew the answer. "Amy, can you snipe those things?"

"I can try," his sister called over the comm. as her black and red Vandera flashed up beside him, sniper rifle cocked into position. A pair of beams lanced out, spearing the side of two warheads, but neither blew apart.

"The armor's too thick!" She cried as the second wave rushed after the first.

The spaceport became a volcano belching fire. Several hatches, previously unnoticeable along the colony's side, erupted into flame jets. The conflagration became a crematorium, burning to ashes all that was not metal. The inferno quickly ate up all the oxygen within and died out almost instantly, like a puff of wind blowing out a candle, the gigantic flame burning from the spaceport went out.

After a moment's silence, Jaden and Amy boosted back toward Madorna's workshop, which hung back beyond sensor range.

Fardain's impenetrable interior had not saved it. Rather, its invincibility had become its bane.

* * *

**Fardain Interior**

"Whew, look at this mess," Woolf said as the G-Exes burst out from amongst a pile of blackened rubble. He unzipped his pilot's jacket and took off his helmet, shaking his head and spraying sweat about the cockpit from his drenched hair. "It got hot in here." He looked down sadly at the surrounding landscape. Pieces of the colony's surface, large metal plates holding down buildings and covering up the sublevels, were lying all over the place beneath, within, or on top of piles of blackened rubble. Soot, ash, and black dust that once composed billions of lives fell gently by the G-Exes, covering the area in a grizzly fog.

Above, thrown into the center of the colony where centrifugal force no longer applied, was a debris field spinning wildly in the zero gravity.

Woolf glanced at his sensor board, noticing that the amount of life in the colony had effectively reached zero. Save for two spots. Gunning the booster, he roared off through the ruins of Fardain. Whoever they were, he swore he would save them from this catastrophe.

He stopped a few minutes later, to get his bearings. Small pocket fires still burned amidst the heaps of debris where small bits of air still managed to linger, for the moment. Woolf glanced down through the chasms and cracks left behind after many of the colony's interior panels had been torn loose. Most of the lower levels were glowing red from the heat. Most of the metal inside the colony was still red hot, and as Woolf continued, he even spotted several dozen flows of molten metal turning into vibrant waterfalls amidst the new country of hills and valleys.

He dodged a massive metal fragment still cherry red, watching it drip little blood-red droplets.

After a time, he reached a rather large rubble valley, this one blackened so as to look as if it were composed of a single black space, save for several cherry red girders poking up mournfully from the debris.

"Glad I found a mobile suit hanger underneath that flower hotel," Woolf said with relief. "I guess it was some Zalam or EUBA hideaway." He slicked back his still damp hair and put on his helmet again. "Well, I owe them one. And my instinct," he added after a moment for good measure. "Now, about those survivors."

Behind the G-Exes, a black object slowly rose from out of the charred rubble, its hide covered in ash. A green slit of light flashed across its face, and it raised a clawed hand and ignited a beam saber.

Woolf glanced down at the pile of girders, they reminded him almost too much of twisted, demonic trees. He noticed a number of petrified bones lying about the field, one, a small skull, lay just at the feet of the G-Exes.

"Looks like a field straight out of Hell," he muttered after a moment.

Suddenly the girders shuttered and collapsed as the ground shook. A hulking mobile suit rose from the rubble, covered in black soot. But it's glowing green eyes and chest were unmistakable. "Flint," Woolf cried. "I had no idea it was you!"

He stopped to spin around and block a saber swipe casually with his shield, then knocked the black UE back with a punishing kick to the chest. "I hoped you might not be so lucky. But dragons don't burn I guess."

The Titus rubbed off soot from its arms and stalked over to Woolf. "Who is that? Woolf?" Flit called over the comm.

"The one and only."

"You idiot! Don't call me Flint. It's Flit." There was an ominous pause. "What are you doing with a Gundam?"

"It's not a Gundam…It's a G-Exes," Woolf said with a stupid smile. "I've been caught," he muttered to himself.

"And what exactly does that G mean in the name?"

"Uh," Woolf thought about it. "Alright, guilty as charged. Now let's get out of here. Hold on, I need to take care of Mr. Sooty first."

Woolf stepped toward the Baqto, which was crouched in its dragon mode, obviously not sure whether to attack both Flit and Woolf or not.

"I'll take him," Flit snapped, charging the UE with the Titus' shoulder. A quartet of beam spikes emerged, impaling the Baqto's chest. A pair of beam sabers flashed from the Titus' knees, and with a kick the machine fell to the ground, its feet severed. Seams appeared in the mobile suit, glowing ominously. The Titus raised its arm. Its fist whirled rapidly, faster and faster as a spinning beam of crimson energy took shape around it. With a scream, Flit brought the DODS fist down on the Baqto's head, punching through it. Flit pulled the Titus back as the Baqto imploded.

"They always do that afterwards," Woolf complained. "I wish we could keep one and steal its secrets."

"Let's get out of here," Flit advised. "I-something's coming," he looked up through the haze.

The Zedas descended with a kick to the G-Exes that slammed it against the ground, firing its chest scattercannon at the Titus, which barely blocked the blow.

The Zedas held up a handful of human bones, all smoking, and flung them away then pointed at the Titus and beckoned with a clawed finger.

"Bring it you monster!" Flit screamed, charging forward with the Titus' shoulder spikes. The Zedas easily dodged around behind the Titus, as if skating on the morbid black surface. Flit unleashed a volley of DODS rifle blasts, one of which almost nicked the Zedas' hand. The UE landed and transformed, rushing over the black ground and transforming to kick the Titus in the chest. The Titus slammed to the ground, kicking up a black cloud as the Zedas roared off toward a giant, glowing mound.

A minute later, The Titus bounded between two of these slag mountains, fists whirling with crimson beam energy like a pair of hurricanes, Flit constantly watching for movement. Suddenly the Zedas was there, darting up from a glowing crack in the underlevels, its wicked, jagged sword leaving a cut on the front of the Titus' torso. It landed behind the Titus, hand standing to kick its descending fist upward, then backflipped up, slicing off the Titus' arm.

The Zedas roared up the side of the mountain, unleashing a volley of beam fire, then suddenly transformed and rushed aside as the G-Exes flashed past, a beam longsaber ignited. The tip of the beam scratched the front of the Zedas' chest, but then the UE roared back around and crescent kicked the saber out of the way, firing a beam machinegun barrage in the G-Exes' face.

"Woolf!" Flit screamed, boost jumping up after the Zedas, which lazily spun down to meet him face-first. It's visor ignited just as Flit slammed its Lariat move at the Zedas' neck. Then suddenly Flit was the one falling, the Titus spinning head over heels as it landed to the ground, its head nearly shorn off. The cameras flickered, but even if they died, Flit still had emergency monitors.

"I get it," Flit moaned, "Speed=power. If he has enough velocity, he can easily cause as much, if not more impact as the Titus can. That Lariat, he dodged under it and countered with one of his own."

He looked up to see the Zedas and G-Exes darting after each other in a white and black frenzy, sabers clashing with a rain of sparks. The Zedas stepped on the G-Exes' foot, tripping it, and bisected its boosters with its beam saber.

"He's open," Flit realized, aiming and firing the DODS rifle. The blast went wide of the head, but it still grazed it, causing the armor to melt and the Zedas to stop mid-thrust, saving Woolf from being impaled by the Zedas' black sword.

The G-Exes sliced out a foot, forcing the Zedas to hop back. It transformed to its stingray mode and with a flash of golden light it disappeared into the black fog.

"Woolf," Flit called anxiously as he picked himself up and wearily staggered over to the G-Exes.

The white Gundam rose to its feet and stored its beam sabers on its back. Its eyes flashed. "So that's the Zedas," Woolf said with a whistle. "I'm impressed, hate to say. You're right; you did good to walk away from your last fight with it."

"Let's go," Flit said, glancing at a charred ruin that still looked like a hospital. "Everyone is probably going to retreat without us."

The Titus stopped and Flit glanced back, Woolf was still staring into the fog.

"Woolf?"

"You know, he really did…fight like me," Woolf muttered slowly over the comm.

"Is something wrong?"

The cocky pilot's face flashed onto the chat screen a second later, smiling with a wink, "a copycat like that won't be a problem next time," the G-Exes gave a thumbs up and started past the Titus. "Race you outside."

* * *

**Colony Fardain, Loading Station C, Frigate ****_Diva_**

"Hurry it up," Ract called over the comm. Milias watched the transports loaded with the Nora evacuees depart impassively. She wondered how many had been moved to Fardain, how many in Fardain who had thought to escape in the lifepods.

Lifepods that had never launched.

She pulled up a picture of the colony, watching the triumphant UE battleship slowly entering the spaceport, its Gafrans sailing about the exit to guard its back. The other ship had wordlessly vanished again. Two purple UE stood guard further out than the rest as they watched the _Diva _and the Zalam and EUBA ships retreating. Apparently, this was enough for the UE today.

Milias turned back to see the huge interior of a transport ship loom before the _Diva_. Grodek had proposed putting the battered frigate inside it as a protective shell as they advanced. They took the freighter, which had been broken in half earlier by some unknown collision, restarted its engine block, and were now going to use it as a temporary base for the _Diva _to affect repairs.

No sign of the Federation's Fardain Defense fleet had been sighted or heard from. The comm. was dead on all frequencies.

* * *

Flit stared at the bronze hulk of Fardain. It truly looked the same on the outside as when they first arrived no more than twenty-four hours earlier, save for a lone mirrior panel that had been shattered. But like him, Fardain was burned to the core.

"Do you want to tell him," Vargas asked Emily quietly behind him. Flit didn't bother turning around, nor did he care. Whatever it was didn't matter. He had survived on his own without Yurin and managed to walk away only mildly damaged after a second encounter with the dreaded Zedas. He would tell Yurin and Emily all about it, how he had finally gained the ability to fight for himself.

"Flit," Emily said, coming up next to him, putting out a hand. Her touch felt clammy and uncomfortable, and Flit moved away awkwardly.

"Listen," she stopped and turned to look at the colony, unable to say anything for fear she would cry. And cry she refused to do, he didn't need that right now, nor did she deserve to after how she had behaved all this time.

"Flit," Vargas said, laying his hand on Flit's shoulder. "You need to listen." He paused and sighed. "Yurin, went back to Fardain during the battle."

Flit turned around, the words seemed so alien to him, they didn't make sense. "What do you mean? Why would she go back?" He asked almost casually. Deep down, he felt something break.

"She wanted to warn you about the Zedas. She sensed it coming and ran. Emily, let her go."

Flit turned to look at Emily, she looked like some unfamiliar object. "Why did you do that, Emily?"

"Because I wanted you to come back alive, even against the Zedas. And she did too. She was so worried, and I couldn't stop her. I thought it would be jealous of me to, because I know you wanted her help."

Now he knew what broke. He whirled around to the colony, it was already growing smaller as the _Diva _ began to move toward the awaiting freighter. "We have to go back," he realized. Somewhere, he felt a prick inside, and knew she couldn't be gone. "We have to go back! She's still there! She has to be!"

"We did a very thorough scan," Vargas said simply, "I'm so sorry, but not even the Titus' armor got away unscathed."

"Yurin!" Flit screamed as the _Diva _entered the hanger's darkness.

* * *

On the bridge, Grodek sighed and glanced at Milias, "I need you to patch me through to all the ships," he said after a moment.

When she had done so, Grodek stood, "Put me onscreen." He straightened. This was it. Aside from the unfortunate sacrifice of Fardain, all was going better than planned. Now it was time to play the wildcard. How his crew would react he had no idea. But it must be done.

"This is Captain Grodek Ainoa of the _Diva. _I am about to make an announcement. I am sure you are all aware that FTC and the fleet did not respond to us nor even arrive to help during this tragic battle. Do not think it was a coincidence."

He paused, feeling everyone in the bridge turn their eyes to him. "The fact of the matter is, FTC knew very well that this attack would come, and did nothing to stop it."

"Captain," Adams leapt to his feet. "What are you saying?"

"All those we have lost since the Day Angel Fell to the menace known as UE, has been done under the Federation's blessing," Grodek announced opening his hand in front of the viewscreen dramatically. He clenched his fist.

"The UE and Federation Special Forces are allies in the common goal known as Operation Cleansing. That is why, in fourteen years, we have not been able to stop a single attack."

Grodek bowed his head. "I will let all of you decide for yourselves whether or not I am speaking the truth. But if you want proof, it is found in Fardain's ashes."


	8. Chapter 8 Pandora

Author's Note: It has come to my attention that I have been referring to the EUBA battleships as _Chalcedonys, _when they are really _Chaceldonys. _But since they are so similar and I favor the former more, I shall use it instead of the canon name.

* * *

**_Chapter Eight Pandora_**

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

_Do I really want to go through with this? _Ezelcant asked himself. _It is my lawful duty to protect the people of Vagan. But if this comes to war I'll need her help. I wish you could help me decide, Dorene._

"That girl I'm waking up has worked great evil. Even so, I can't help but feel joy at seeing her again."

Fezarl Ezelcant rounded the corner onto a metal bridge spanning a dark expanse. The complex glowed with soft, icy blue light from countless oval sleeping pods, each hanging on racks side-by-side on gigantic pillars that stretched down into the abyss; their lights fading away like distant stars.

He hated coming to this place. These people were counting on him, and he had failed so far. But his plan was almost complete.

He would ensure Blue Fall's success, but also make certain that if things went awry and the Federation betrayed the Vagans in their deal, he would have his greatest pieces already arrayed for battle.

Ezelcant reached a platform and keyed a command into the console. He took out a key resembling a teal gemstone and placed it in a slot. Moments later, a roar filled the room as one of the racks spun the selected pod around to face the catwalk.

Ezelcant smiled tightly. A joy only a father could know when seeing their child again after so many years.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, outside Uzalt Debris Cluster**

The _Diva _elegantly dashed from the guts of the old freighter and flashed into the stars, looking brand new after its battles in Fardain thanks to the Madorna Workshop's timely arrival with fresh supplies.

Despite the unexpected, particularly the massacre of Fardain, Grodek had to admit his plan was coming off nicely and relatively smoothly. The people aboard the ship still believed the UE were aliens.

And for the moment Grodek intended to keep it that way.

Now all that was left was to tie up the blonde loose end walking through the door.

"I want to talk to you Captain," Emily said, entering.

Grodek glanced over Emily, seeing that she was shaking visibly and had a stutter to her voice. She was afraid. Good. He wouldn't have to fear _her _then.

_Now to alleviate those fears._ "What can I do for you, Emily?" He asked, folding his hands.

"I want to know. About that time back on Nora, I saw it, you did something with the captain of this ship. I don't regret what you did, because you saved the people of Nora, but you're deceiving people and its wrong. And this whole thing about the Federation and the aliens, I don't know whether to believe it's true because of this."

Grodek sighed. "Yes, I was expecting this confrontation. You're right. It's wrong of me to deceive the people aboard the _Diva._"

"I will explain it to everyone today right here in this office, I promise," Grodek said with a slight frown. He sighed heavily and put his hands on the table.

"Right," Emily said, looking down with a sigh of her own, "Thank you. But…"

"You want me to talk to Flit, about letting him leave with the other people of Nora."

"Yes," Emily said, locking gazes with Grodek resolutely. "I know he wants to help, but he's a child. The pain he's suffered from losing everyone he cares about is too much," she put a hand to her chest, "No one can endure so many tragedies and not feel hate."

"Is there a problem with hate," Grodek interrupted.

Emily caught her breath. There was something in Grodek's eyes that sparkled dangerously.

"No," Emily said after a moment. "I hate them too. And I want them all to go away or die. But being _consumed _by hate, by revenge, by something like that drowns a person until it kills them inside. Suppose you _do_ destroy the UE. I know Flit won't come back after that. He'll just find something else to hate and destroy. I know him, he is an obsessive idiot who won't stop once he starts. I can't just stand by and watch him go down a path I know will end only in pain!"

"My wife and daughter were inside Angel the day it fell," Grodek said coldly. "Flit, honestly, has lost more than I have. I don't have the right to say anything."

"I understand, but this still gives you no right to involve Flit. You're manipulating him through his tragedies," Emily snapped. "You're using him as a tool, and that's just not caring about him at all, just like Fonroid didn't care about us in Nora. And that's selfish!" She whirled around and disappeared through the door, which silently closed behind her.

Grodek turned to look at the picture by his computer, where a younger version of himself stood smiling with his wife and daughter.

A shadow passed over his face and Grodek buried his head in his hands. "I know it's selfish. But I just can't…I _must_ keep going."

He pulled up the computer and set to work editing his plans for the assault on Ambat, and later, to the eventual obliteration of the Federation's HQ of Big Ring.

"To the end."

* * *

**Madorna's Workshop**

Madorna's Workshop floated idly in space. A bustling swarm of ships of all shapes, sizes and colors turned it from a thriving little hub of activity to a major nexus for spacefarers.

With Fardain Tradelane Control down the fleets were not coordinated to stop the space vessels from taking off from their colony or station and wondering off into the starry void without being forced to report their intended destination.

The underworld went from a small, risky practice to a booming economy of smugglers, pirating, slaving, illegal racing, black marketing, and everything under the sun considered illegal.

Madorna's Workshop was now a major stopping point for these people, most desperate to purchase as many mobile suit weapons as they could. The die was cast at Fardain. The Federation lost its hold on the Earth Sphere's surrounding space.

And now most of the underworld intended to _keep _that freedom. It would not be lost again, not when they had their own private armies of Shaldolls and Vandera to pick off those lousy Genoace by the dozens.

Mukured Madorna was a happy man.

And so he did not question the Fire Monk sailing past him in the reception room, wearing a flowing black robe and hood, with a mask on his face. What did a holy priest of the Star's Harbinger sect have to do with him? If he was here, that meant money. The pious were even coming to buy from the Workshop. Mukured Madorna was a happy man.

Aren Takeo on the other hand was three steps from death.

He stood with his back to a cold, rough side of a storage unit housing several high-performance machines. In one, robed figures stealthily placed a monstrous UE machine inside. With all the hundreds of people moving about the shop at once, no one would ever notice an obscure back room and its dubious contents.

"I am ashamed of you Aren," Yark Dole droned in a threatening almost-monotone. Yark continued to hold a Vagan handgun in front of him, the blaster all but hidden by his cowl's long sleeves, save the threatening barrel. Aren hadn't seen this new model of sidearm until now, but he assumed, like all Vagan technology, that it was worlds above Federation sidearms.

"This causes more pain than any of your pathetic taser-based weapons, Traitor."

"Yeah, I took the hint," Aren replied. His shirt was burned clean off, the skin beneath blackened and smoking. He glanced down at his bare chest and torso, where dozens of hideous scars were plainly visible. Old reminders of home; he guessed he had a few new ones to add to the collection.

"Still into sending people to mine on the surface?" He asked casually.

"Only the condemned who break the law," Yark replied. "For someone like you, a good burning in the Fire Temple would suffice. Or, you could always atone..."

"I will not help you," Aren bit back, fighting the growing pain.

"My brother shared such deviant aspirations," Yark replied. "He is now among those sacrificed infidels in Fardain."

Aren's eyes widened. "I never thought you would stoop so low, Yark Dole Briar. To think I used to respect you. You sicken me."

Yark Dole shook his head. "Will you not at least think about my request?"

Yark Dole smiled after a moment. "They didn't do anything to stop us you know. Don't you wonder why?"

Aren was taken aback by the sudden change in subject. "What are you saying?"

"You know about Cleansing. That is what sickens _me _about _you. _You know. Yet you still grovel before the Federation like a slave. Even going so far as to betray your own people."

"I am a compassionate man, so I'll let you-

-Quiet! I'll never help you in your schemes! You MURDERED your own brother, Yark Dole Briar!"

A bright flash of energy lanced out, blasting a hole into Aren's midsection. The man's limp body collapsed like a rag doll, billowing smoke.

"I fear I have little sympathy for traitors who slander our cause. Truly, those who come to live on Earth forget the suffering of our people." Yark Dole shook his head sadly from side to side and then fired several more shots, reducing the corpse to a pile of ashes.

"I'm so sorry you think badly of me."

"In truth, I feel we are doing these people a service. Instead of dying for no reason at the hands of their filthy government, we can sacrifice some of them to bring the Federation's evil to light."

"Don't you see? I'm making their deaths _mean something_."

* * *

**Mars Sphere, Second Moon**

The sleeping pod opened with a hiss of steam. Ezelcant moved forward and wrapped a robe about the figure within gingerly.

The girl, now dressed modestly in the robe, took the handrail and guided herself from the pod with his help. Deep, cherry red eyes stared hazily up at the vast complex surrounding them. The girl shook her head as if to clear it, then grabbed and started combing her jagged cerulean hair.

"Issishar," Ezelcant said.

The girl turned around to regard Ezelcant for a long moment. He felt a rush of another mind grasp at his own. He fought it back, forcing the dark shadow away with his powers.

"Oh, it's good to be awake," Issishar said with a growing sneer.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, ****_Diva_**

"I still don't understand why you're bothering me," Flit said again.

"Stop blaming me. You were the one who wanted to have a talk with Madorna. Remember?" Woolf said.

"What does that have to do with the weight room? I'm not in the mood to exercise," Flit snapped.

"Look, being on a ship in zero g means you can't just sit around," Woolf said, holding up a finger. "If you don't get some exercise of some kind, you'll wind up like Dique. Do you want that? Or worse, your body will be extremely weak under gravity. I mean fine, get injured when you go to a colony again."

"That's sounds like Emily talking," Flit said after a moment.

Woolf scratched his head, "It does. Oh, hahaha. She did ask me to talk to you. 'Tell Flit to hit the gym today, he hasn't done anything but sit around in his room fiddling with Haro.' 'Right, you can count on me,'" Woolf pointed at himself confidently. "I never say no to a lady. Right, so either you hit the gym or you come with me to Madorna's. Your choice."

"I refuse." Flit said stubbornly. "I have to finish giving Haro his memory wipe."

"So that's what you were doing all this time," Woolf realized. He scratched his head. "Come to think of it, wasn't Milias throwing a pary for that? She seemed awfully happy."

"Help me _please_!" Haro screamed. "It's murder! Murder I tell you!" His ears flapped wildly.

Woolf finally glanced at the other end of Flit's room, seeing the green sphere trapped inside a webbing of wires all connected to Flit's PDA.

"He's going to destroy my beautiful collection," whined Haro. "I tried to seduce him with PS01, but it was no good!"

"Good riddance I say," Flit said, tongue in cheek, looking at the PDA. "Wipe is in three seconds."

"Well, he never did anything to me," Woolf shrugged, walking over to Haro. "Don't be so hard on the little guy," he patted the green sphere fondly.

"Yeah, yeah," Haro said enthusiastically. "I only peaked on you twice!"

"What was that?" Woolf squinted down at the green sphere.

"Yeah, only twice." Haro said, "you weren't that impressive after all. Woops."

"Flit I want you to tear this piece of junk apart!" Woolf grabbed the wires and started yanking on them. "And what makes you a good judge of a man, huh? I'll show you to insult me," Woolf said with a wicked grin, removing a blue chord.

"Hey, don't," Flit snapped, just as Haro began to shake crazily.

"Ahaaaaahah. H-a-r-o," the green sphere wailed and stuttered. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. I'm crashing! I'm crashing!"

Woolf stared down at the smoking robot in confusion as he scratched an ear tuff.

"I think that might have helped," Flit said after a moment. "I just downloaded the new personality chip. It should start working when he boots up."

"What if he's worse than the original?" Woolf asked hesitantly.

"Don't be paranoid," Flit chided. "How could he be worse?"

As the two of them floated down the hall, the AGE device began to vibrate. Flit took it out of his pocket and flipped it open. Vargas' face appeared a second later onscreen.

"Flit, where have you been? I've been waiting since we left Fardain for you to come down and check on the status of the Gundam."

"I was busy," Flit said.

"Fine, sheesh kids these days don't have any responsibility," Vargas muttered. He cleared his throat, "Status update: the Titus has been upgraded so there are three beam spikes in the knees. It also has a pair of beam tonfas now, so you will have more close range counters for the Zedas' sword."

"More importantly, we have just finished the Spallow Wear. The blade weapon was just finished by the AGE Builder two minutes ago. Want to hear the details?"

"That's great Vargas but I'm not in the mood," Flit said after a moment.

"What do you-Flit you need to hear this. If you went into battle again without knowing you'll wind up like you did with the Titus."

"I said I'm not in the mood now Vargas," Flit said as he looked up and keyed off the monitor.

"That isn't like you at all, Flint. Normally you go crazy possessive over the Gundam," Woolf said, gesturing with one hand. "I remember you said you were eager to oversee the Spallow's development or whatever. Wasn't the data incomplete or something?"

"I don't really care, the System takes care of that," Flit replied without looking at Woolf.

Woolf shook his head and they continued down the corridor in silence.

* * *

Jostling passed a crowd of people trying to enter the Workshop's front office, Woolf pushed back a man who grabbed his arm angrily.

"What's your problem?" Woolf snapped.

"I've been waiting for an hour, and some punk like you isn't getting in front of me," the man growled.

"Well I'm not here on business. Now get lost," Woolf said airily, turning around and stepping over to a side door. "Come on Flint."

At that moment, two women exited the office along with several costumers. One of them, who was flipping through a pile of papers glanced up and waved at Woolf. The other, a dark skinned woman with long purple hair also waved and then continued on conversing with her clients.

"What brings you here, Woolf?" The first woman said, walking up to them, she flicked a crimson lock of hair out of her face. "And who's this?"

"This is Flit, but call him Flint," Woolf smiled, pointing at Flit, who stared back impassively.

"Pleased to meet you Flint. My name's Sutura," she smiled and extended her hand.

"It's nice to meet you too," Flit said, shaking her hand.

"If you're here for upgrades or maintenance, Woolf, you'll have to wait in the back of the line," Sutura warned, jerking a thumb back at the line of costumers. "Making a contract to build custom mobile suits is tough," she remarked. "All those legal loopholes to jump through."

"Nah, I'm here to see the old man. And Flint here wanted to talk to him."

They rounded a corner, and Sutura used a pin to point Flit toward the mobile suit hanger. "He's the man with graying hair and purple oval glasses. Just follow the shouting," she suggested, prodding him onward.

"Thanks," Flit said hesitantly, glancing oddly at her and Woolf as he left.

Sutura meanwhile delicately placed a palm against the wall, stopping Woolf from passing.

"Something wrong?" Woolf asked.

"I think you know," Sutura said politely. "Let's not be coy-I hate coy. You made my little girl cry, Woolf. If you expect to get away with that, then you have a severe deficit in the understanding of how a parent's mind works."

"Well, I'm not a parent," Woolf said, closing his eyes with a shrug, then put his hand on his hip, "It is true I was blunt. But I don't like being coy," he said with a sly smile.

"In that case, I'll kindly ask you to hand over the cash now," Sutura held out her empty hand.

"Wait. Hold it. What cash?"

"Ever wondered how much our custom mobile suits cost?" Sutura asked conversationally, bringing out a piece of paper. "I have a bill here."

"Heh, so you're mad and taking it out by making me pay." He shook his head and pawed a lock of hair. "Too bad you're forgetting Madorna let me put it on my tab. Listen, I promise to pay it back-

-sorry," Sutura cut in, giving him the bill, the price at the bottom circled in red ink. "You're tab just hit its limit. I expect money. Now."

* * *

"Excuse me," Flit said, coming up to a dark haired boy perhaps two or three years older than himself. "I'm looking for Mukured Madorna. Do you know where he is?"

"Sure," the boy replied. "Follow me."

"Thank you."

"I'm Jaden Takeyo by the way. Yours?"

"Flint-I mean Flit Asuno," he said. "Stupid Woolf," he muttered under his breath.

"Flit Asuno!" Jaden seemed to fairly leap into the air. "The one who developed the Gundam Madorna and my dad have been going nuts over!?"

Flit felt something inside him pop and his face darkened. "What do you mean?"

"A regular here, Woolf Enneacle, sent us some data on this really old MS design called a Gundam. They even built their own Gundam unit, the Exes."

"So the G in the name means Gundam," Flit said to himself, eyes snapping back toward Woolf and Sutura at the other end of the hanger. "Thank you so much for your help, Jaden."

"Are you really the principle designer?" Jaden asked, still smiling.

"Uh, maybe, what's it to you?" Flit asked uneasily.

"Everything! I've been working on a Gundam of my own. One that isn't just a Shaldoll with an improved thruster performance pack and superior armor like the G-Exes."

The boy started to elaborate further, but stopped as they reached a series of mobile suit braces.

"Here we are," Jaden said, stopping by a group of busy workers scrambling like disturbed ants over a CMS-B/67M Shaldoll. Sure enough, a man with grey hair and purple oval glasses was standing in an orange mechanic's jumpsuit, reading over a holographic manual that flickered with interference every time one of the engineers turned some component on in the Shaldoll's innards.

"Madorna, there's a guest to see you," Jaden called.

Madorna looked down from his plans, flipped them off and climbed down the ladder from the gantry. "Mukured Madorna," the man said, holding out his hand.

"Madorna, I've got a bone to pick with you," Flit said testily. "I demand you hand over all your plans for the G-Exes and pay recompense fees for stealing my AGE-1 designs!"

"Uh-oh," Madorna said, stepping back to grab Jaden by the collar. "Look what you did, ya little idiot, you led the enemy right to me."

"I'm so sorry Mr. Madorna," Jaden protested. "But it isn't that bad is it?"

"Listen," Madorna said, stepping over to Flit, "I'm not sure there has been any plagiarizing done here, Flit was it?"

"I didn't say," Flit responded.

"Well, you have your father's bearing, so I figured it on that. I had a feeling you'd be around sometime soon. Just so you know, I helped your dad decipher some of those old AGE-1 prototypes before he passed. So technically I'm in my full rights to use them," he rubbed his fingers on the jump suit, wiping off the oil grease.

"I never heard anything about this," Flit admitted, somewhat deflated.

Madorna smiled, "Well, you were never around your parents long enough, so I'm not surprised. Still, didn't your aunt tell you anything about your family business?"

"We're not on the best of terms," Flit said.

"Explains why I never heard of you joining them at Solon City or Viceroy," Madorna said, rubbing his goatee. "But, really Flit. How much do you know about the AGE device?"

"Not much," Flit admitted. "So you helped to make the plans?"

"Not really, I only helped decode them from the system," Madorna explained. "Now I don't mean to be rude, but you caught me at a bad time, Flit. Let's talk about this some other time."

"Sure," Flit said hesitantly.

"Before I forget, when will your captain be free to talk with me?" Madorna asked, turning around, "I need to bill him for supplies. And frankly, ask him to leave. A Feddi warship parked outside my shop is going to cut down on my business."

"He's having a staff meeting," Flit replied. "There's a lot going. We are trying to destroy the UE," he said, voice lowering.

"I know that," Madorna replied. "All the more reason for you guys to split. Having aliens paint my MS smithy as a target is not something I want. Let him know I need to have a chat with him."

"Alright," Flit said as the mechanic turned back to the Shaldoll.

"Sorry about that," Jaden said as they walked back through the hanger, the sound of cutters, drills and machinery echoing all about them. "He's been a bit uptight lately ever since Fardain."

"I understand," Flit said monotonously.

"I know he had some friends there. I really feel for him. I watched it happening, it was awful. I'm kinda glad I live on a safe station like the Workshop. No UE would have any reason to attack us here. Right?"

"Excuse me, but I think I'm going to check around," Flit said absently, turning around in the other direction.

"Oh, okay," a flummoxed Jaden said, watching the younger teenager depart.

"Coming through Mr.," said a small voice. Jaden looked down to see a little boy with red hair and honey gold eyes run past, nearly knocking him over.

"Watch it kid," Jaden yelled. "Wait, you're not supposed to be in here alone, it's dangerous!"

Without thinking Jaden took off after the kid, who darted behind a series of crates. Jaden rushed around to the other side, only to see the little boy had vanished. He heard a giggle behind him and whirled around, but there was nothing there.

* * *

Sitting inside the cockpit of his Genoace, Largan Drace idly tapped away at the auxiliary screen, watching the empty bridge on the other end of the monitor. He thought back to the young couple tending to their child back in Fardain. Of the little crimson headed boy who disappeared into the alley. Their faces burned into his mind.

As for his grandfather, well, he wasn't worried. Of all people, _that _man had to have escaped somehow. It was just his nature and Largan's luck.

Why he opted not to join Milias and the others for Grodek's meeting was a good question. Perhaps he still needed time to rest his mind after Fardain. The crew of the _Diva_ had been through about as much shock as was humanly possible. Did Milias not need more time before jumping into the captain's crazy operations? He well knew the danger everyone was facing. With Operation Cleansing in effect, the Federation would allow the UE, whatever they were, to continue decimating the populace.

Largan smiled. Milias of all people had lost a great deal. He knew she had family on Tordia, then there was Nora and now Fardain. But despite her suffering, Milias stood on her feet and still carried herself as a professional soldier, even so far as to plan the next strategy for the _Diva._

Adams and Milias were both still somewhat leery of Grodek. Largan decided it simply did not matter to him one way or another. His focus was on the enemy mobile suits.

Largan fumbled with his helmet. Milias still hadn't said anything to him during the trip from Fardain's ruins. What did that mean? He felt as though she was shutting him out, and it left a cold feeling inside.

"But I somehow don't want to give up. I admire her willpower, so does that mean I want it to rub off on me?" He chuckled. "I might even decide to go the Workshop and see about having this old Genoace upgraded. Then maybe I can still fight without being over my head."

* * *

Inside Grodek's dimly lit office, the bridge crew officers sat around the coffee table, which also housed a holoprojector board. Grodek sat hands folded in his lap.

"This is a dangerous situation we are in," he said. "I understand everyone's fears about what we are doing, which is essentially mutiny against the Federation. However I don't have much choice in the matter."

"It's just unbelievable," Adams said, fist shaking. "Millions of people, possibly billions have died and all at the government's behest. I still find this an uncertain gamble, Captain. Are you prepared to handle the consequences of killing Fonroid and attacking the UE, now that we know they are allies of the Federation?"

"I am. I believe that is a question I should be proposing to all of you," Grodek replied with a bow of his head. "When Fonroid came to me and revealed all of this, I was just as shocked and disbelieving. However, I see no other option. As for all of you, rest assured that I will take full responsibility for this mutiny. As far as you were aware, this was all a top secret mission given to us by Command."

"Well, I'm in," Milias said with a sigh. "We don't really have any other choice at the moment. Fardain has shown us that this situation is spiraling quickly out of control."

"Indeed," Grodek said. "This is what I was hoping to stop. My plan was to destroy Ambat, which the Federation gave willingly to the UE as their base of operations in the debris cluster. Unfortunately, I acted too late and they now have Fardain as a second stronghold from which to move. This has me worried," he unlaced his hands and stared at each of his subordinates, especially Adams. "From their current objectives, they have no reason to hold Fardain. Worse, the Federation should not have authorized that assault in the first place. It was too costly."

"Are you saying the UE are beginning to act independently?" Milias questioned, chin between her thumb and forefinger.

"The evidence suggests things are moving in that direction, yes," Grodek said.

"I say we get them," Edward smashed a fist into his open palm, "Because of them, we lost Nora, Angel, and now Ino and Walt are gone because of it."

"It's tragic," Onette said, squeezing her skirt in her clutches. "I'm not even grieving because it's all happened so fast." She looked down. "Ino was a good friend. He's been with us at Aliston for years."

Adams stared pensively at Grodek for a moment then shrugged his shoulders, "It makes little difference what we decide unless we form a cohesive strategy."

"I have one long planned out," Grodek said confidently. "But first, I need to know if you are all in favor of supporting me. If not, you may leave here at Madorna's Workshop or with the citizens of Nora when we deposit them at a safe haven."

"You have my support," Milias affirmed again.

"And mine," Edward said.

Adams frowned in thought for a moment, then finally nodded, "Make that three."

Grodek turned to Onette, who was still sitting in her seat. "Ms. Cory?"

"I-could I have time to think it over? Where will we take the people of Nora? I may decide to stay with them, all my family is there."

"I see," Grodek replied, "Well, listen to our strategy. Then you can make a decision. No one is forcing you."

Standing up, Grodek bent over and pressed a button on the coffee table. A cobalt holograph flared to life, its flickering surface displaying a twinkling map of the Earth Sphere and its surrounding space.

"We are here," Grodek pointed, "Just short of the Uzalt Debris Cluster. I am disregarding trade routes because with FTC's demise, they are all null and void with the Federation having no way of regulating them. At the moment, our biggest need is reaching a place that will serve as a staging ground for our attack on Ambat."

He pointed with a finger to a colony within the cluster. "This is Minsry, a natural reservation colony with several smaller residential cylinders. It has a small population of Ninety Thousand with no manufacturing installations whatsoever. It is therefore unlikely the UE-or more importantly-Operation Cleansing, have taken notice of it. Because it is a nature reserve, Command will not sanction attacks on it. I have been in contact with Alzack Birmings, the leader there, and he has guaranteed the people of Nora safe asylum."

"In the meantime, I had it from Bruzar that Madorna was lightly involved in the development of the AGE-1's design, so he may even be able to give us some support, perhaps even mass producing the DODS rifle."

"Have we spoken with him?" Milias asked.

"I will meet with him as soon as this meeting is done, along with Ract Elfamel, who will be arriving shortly."

* * *

**EUBA _Chalcedony _class battleship, _Horizon_**

Ract Elfamel glanced over the data scrolling before his eyes. He digested the information and smiled. Poor Boyage, he was about to fall yet another step back. "I understand Grodek is heading out to meet the Treasure Star, how fortuitous," he laughed to himself and glanced over at his subordinate. "Hail the _Diva _and inform Captain Grodek I will be personally escorting Nora's residents to Minsry."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" The aid asked.

"Yes," Ract rubbed his chin with a smile. "I have a reason now for going along with this mad scheme. Two birds with one stone, to barrow the colloquialism."

* * *

**Madorna's Workshop**

"Oh God," Amy whispered, shaking as the masked and hooded man held her in his grip, standing over the ashes that her cruel capturer claimed was all that remained of Aren Takeyo her father.

"You will insist the Madornas begin manufacturing replacement parts for us," the man intoned dully in a dirge of a voice. "You are of the blood of the Vagan, so I will give you a chance to live."

"What are talking about," started Amy, struggling against his vice-like grip, "Let-go," she yanked with all her might, not caring anymore if the arm twisted behind her back was broken or not. A vicious kick knocked her to the ground. The hooded figure stooped down next to her.

She whirled around to see his masked face next to hers. "You should be careful, or you might be hurt."

"I said let go," hissed Amy, struggling against the pain. "I don't know what you're talking about. What are Vagans?"

"We are the Avengers gifted with Vega's fire, the prisoners of Mars come to retake our place on Earth," Yark Dole hissed. "I will enlighten you later on. For now, your PDA. I can't have you contacting them yet," he grabbed the device and tucked it away in his robes.

"Someone!" A hand clamped over her mouth, and she tried to bite the fingers. As she did, she noticed a vaguely metallic taste in the flesh that was decidedly not copper, and that it was extremely tough and hard, like it were some kind of wire. Was it human? Was this man even _human?_

_ A UE! _She realized in horror. That's why he's stronger, his flesh is metal. She spat, or tried at least, thrashing her legs.

"Who's this?" A child's voice asked.

Amy looked up to see a little boy in white pants and shirt, with blue trimming. He had crimson hair as red as her own. He walked over and leaned down, smiling maliciously.

"Be good and Briar won't hurt ya," he snickered. "But I will!" The child laughed, pinching Amy's cheek hard.

"Stop antagonizing her, Decil," snapped Yark Dole.

"But I'm boooooooorred," Decil whined, stomping his foot. "When can the Zedas be fixed?"

"It is still operable, we are just here to make a deal."

"We'll never help you! Someone HELP!" Shrieked Amy, breaking free of Yark Dole's grip and sweeping the man's feet out from under him with a kick. Getting up, she started past Decil, who casually pulled out a small crystal-like object and tossed it in front of her.

An electric pop rent the air, along with Amy's soft moan as she crumpled lifeless to the metal floor. Decil smirked and stood over her, arms crossed and one foot planted firmly on her shoulder.

Glancing over at Yark Dole, Decil smiled. "You should have used the stun grenade for this if you wanted to catch her quietly."

"I gave you the grenade for protection. I did not believe I would need a hostage, but Aren proved uncooperative," Yark Dole explained, picking himself up and pulling off the ruined glove that the girl's teeth had torn. He flexed the metallic hand pulsing with red and violet veins. "She may have damaged the Nanos-zsells."

"Now," Yark Dole Briar brushed himself off and picked up the unconscious Amy. "I am returning to the _Sahaden. _I expect you to behave, Decil."

"Sure, I promise," Decil smiled with an assuring nod.

"I will know if you attempt to activate the Zedas before I give the order," Yark Dole warned as he departed.

Decil turned away, his face disgusted. "I _hate_ child locks."

Suddenly Decil's senses flared to life, and he grinned. So that's where _that _pilot had gone.

Decil rounded a corner, colliding with a sullen Flit Asuno. Decil fell back, hitting his head against the wall. "Ouch."

Flit stopped and sighed. "That's what you get for running. Here," Flit said after a moment, reaching down to grab Decil's hand. "Is your head ok?"

Electric and tingling, the familiar feeling pulsed through Flit's mind as he clasped hands with Decil. Just like with Yurin.

It was stronger this time, almost ticklish. He felt a sudden flash around the rim of his vision, like a halo of green and blue ocean reflecting sunlight.

Flit shook his head and helped the child up.

"I'm fine," the boy said. Decil stared at him intensely. This one. This was the one he had been playing with. _The Horned Suit's pilot._

Flit looked up and noticed Decil's unblinking stare. "Are you sure you're fine?"

Decil smiled warmly and rubbed his head. "Never better Mr."

"Well, what's your name?" Flit asked.

"Decil."

Flit started to walk away. "Go play somewhere less dangerous, Decil."

"But I wanna play with someone," Decil insisted. "There's a no gravity zone the way you're going. Let's play"-He spread his arms and cheered-"Zero-G Tag!"

"Not now," Flit said without looking back.

Flit felt a small hand reach into his back pant pocket and yank out the AGE device. "Hey!" Flit snapped, whirling around and then back again as Decil rushed by. "Give that back," he pointed at the device, clutched in Decil's left hand as the boy waved it overhead.

"You want it, you have to tag me," Decil laughed, "Come on." He darted around and raced away.

Flit gritted his teeth and charged after the child. "I'm going to give that kid a thrashing he'll never forget," Flit thought darkly. _Or maybe let him out an airlock. _

That wasn't an idle threat in his state of mind.

* * *

Grodek stepped onto the shuttle and sat down in a seat, motioning for Ract Elfamel to take one next to him.

"I hope you don't mind me taking a detour," Grodek said. "I want Madorna to give the AGE-1 an examination so we might be able to improve our other MS."

"Quite fine," Ract held up a hand, "I certainly hope you will kindly share such upgrades with EUBA's military force."

"That depends on what we can afford and what Madorna is able and willing to do."

"Money is no issue," Ract rubbed a finger with a smirk. "Did that crusty barnacle Boyage not give you any donations to float this enterprise?"

"He did, however at the moment I had him take the funds to Viceroy and see what he can come up with," Grodek said. "I'm afraid I'm left on my own with Madorna."

"Well, perhaps I can make things more, 'buoyant' for us," Ract suggested. "Allow me to offer paying for Madorna's upgrades."

"That is very generous of you," Grodek replied, eyes wary. "Does this benefit you in any way? Oh, or perhaps you are being courteous."

"I don't understand," Ract said, matching Grodek's steady gaze. "Now now, that was fairly close to sarcasm. Has Boyage poisoned your opinion of EUBA?"

"No, I just don't believe something that is too good to be true."

Ract laughed. "I'm hurt, really. I am a knight of EUBA. A comrade like yourself deserves our support. Speaking of which, I am determined to accompany you to Minsry. My personal fleet will be escorting the _Diva _in case we meet any Federation patrols."

"Oh," Grodek asked, narrowing his eyes. "I see. We would be honored to have the Knight of EUBA onboard the _Diva."_

They both felt the contents of their stomachs drop as the station's artificial gravity took hold of the shuttle as it touched down. Both men stepped out onto the landing platform, watching Vargas bring in the AGE-1 Titus on a blue transport, the Gundam attached neatly in the braces between the engine and the cockpit of the ship.

"I was expecting an escort from our other pilot," Grodek mentioned to Vargas as the old man hopped tentatively out of the transport. Emily and Dique filed out after him, Dique enthusiastically darting off to explore another part of the hanger.

"I didn't know they had artificial gravity here," Emily mentioned as she walked up.

"Must be doing some kind of gravity-sensitive testing on the machines' ligaments and joint systems," Vargas pulled at his beard. "Well, it's good exercise after floating weightless for weeks."

"About Largan," Grodek said, clearing his throat.

"Oh, I'm not sure what happened," Vargas threw up his hands in a shrug. "He said he was coming right behind us."

"Needing an escort? Are we in danger here?" Ract asked.

"Not eminently. By my calculations however, with FTC nullified, piracy has skyrocketed even after just two weeks of Fardain collapsing. I'm particularly afraid of the Bisidian group. This would be a prime target for them."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them," Ract said absently. "There are too many ships and guns. Especially now with my Whitewind Fleet stationed outside," Ract folded his hands proudly, trying his darndest not to smirk.

Angrazzo had desperately wanted to pillage and plunder Madorna's Workshop. And oh how Ract had been forced to pay a good deal to avoid that disaster…along with numerous threats from the Elmeda's sword to Angrazzo's tiny face.

* * *

Back in the _Diva's _hanger, Largan Drace heard Vargas' voice call from the monitor, "Largan, we need you in the Genoace to escort the Titus over to the smithy. It's the Captain's orders, so be quick about it."

"Roger that, I'll be right there." He glanced out the open cockpit into the darkened hanger at the sound of footsteps approaching.

He was surprised to find it was Onette Cory, standing idly near the Genoace's foot. Largan frowned and hopped out of the cockpit and pushed down to land beside her. Onette jumped with a start, spinning around.

"Relax, it's me, Largan."

"Oh, I'm sorry Largan, I didn't know you were here."

At the other end of the hanger, the mobile suit transporter, the Gundam secured to its brace, moved toward the lift to the catapult deck.

"What are you doing here? This isn't exactly the bridge."

"I was just trying to think about the staff meeting we had with Grodek, and got lost-in thought-not the ship, I know my way around."

"Of course," Largan said. "So, I guess the hanger is the place for people like us, I've been thinking the same things inside the Genoace for the past three hours."

"Really?" Onette asked, perking up. "Well, I'm glad to hear I am not the only one with doubts about this whole affair."

"What are you doubting? That we shouldn't fight the UE?" Largan asked, putting a hand in his pocket.

"Oh," she hugged her shoulder, "Not that. Are you?"

"No," Largan said distantly, watching the lift door open back up and return to its resting place after depositing the transporter. "I'm just rethinking the Federation's position in my mind."

"Yes," Onette nodded, looking down at a droplet of oil floating past. "Well, maybe more than that. I guess I don't know if I can really keep my moral compass or my loyalties straight in a world where the force I swore to serve was actually the very thing I swore to destroy in the same oath."

"That was articulately put," Largan noted, "I think that grasps the feelings of everyone here to some degree." He frowned. "Barring Grodek and Woolf. Woolf just wants to rumble in a MS battle and bask in the praise of the onlookers afterward."

"And Captain Grodek?" Onette asked with a grin. "What do you think of him?"

"He's driven, that's for sure. I did some research and found his wife and daughter died the day Angel fell."

"I didn't know that," Onette said, looking down again. "I wondered what gave him such a drive to kill the UE. And just what _are _they?" She asked. "He wouldn't tell us anything other than he had a theory and 'couldn't verify it until I reach Ambat itself' or something like that."

"Well, it doesn't matter to a pilot like me what it is I'm shooting at, so long as it's not civilians. As for the UE, don't let that trouble you too much, Onette. Curiosity is fine, but at this point all we need to know is what they did to Angel and Nora. And Fardain and all the others," he added, turning back toward the Genoace. "I have to go, I have it coming from Grodek for staying behind."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Onette clapped a hand over her mouth. "I'll tell the Captain this was my doing."

"Don't bother, it was me who disturbed you," Largan said as he pushed off.

Onette frowned and pushed away from the Genoace as she watched it come to life.

* * *

"Catch me!" Cried Decil, leaping away from Flit's grasp and sailing high above him.

"When I get you," Flit gritted his teeth, "You'll regret it!" He jumped after Decil.

The two of them struggled inside a room devoid of the artificial gravity system that the Workshop employed, Flit assumed it was pre-SCT era, but then Madorna didn't look like the person to care about breaking the law, considering that was his business' main purpose.

Decil laughed and landed against the side wall, then pushed off again to fly over Flit's head, where he struck the next wall and pushed off under Flit as he tried to sail back down and catch the boy.

"You're not doing it right," Decil complained. "Move around more."

Again Decil sailed at Flit, this time knocking him off balance leaving him spinning helplessly in the center of the room. Decil shook his head and tossed the AGE device away.

"I'm bored." Decil smiled, "Time to go see if I can get the mobile suit working."

Flit grabbed the AGE device and glanced after Decil as the brat disappeared. "I'm going to kill that idiot," he snarled, reaching the wall and launching himself after Decil.

* * *

"What in the world is going on?" Madorna barked as he rushed into the Workshop's main control room. He glanced at Sutura, finding her in a state of shock slumped in a seat next to Lalaparly, her face contorted in a mixture of disbelief, grief, and rage.

Madorna turned to the main monitor that took up most of one wall and nearly leapt out of his skin. A UE ship, black with orange painted gun turrets hovered like a winged monster, its violet bridge windows glowing ominously.

Mouth agape, Madorna stared at the vessel, noticing the smaller screen below only a after the person on it cleared his throat. Madorna looked down to find the man on the other end a figure dressed in a monk's robes, with a mask obscuring what could be seen of his face.

"You're that monk from earlier," Madorna realized in disbelief. "So you're a UE? What in the world is going? What do want?"

"He wants us to negotiate manufacturing MS parts for him," Lalaparly snarled, her half lidded eyes boring at the screen. "He…says he killed Aren," she finished after taking in a shaky breath.

"That's what you said on the comm." Madorna clinched his fists.

"They have Amy," Sutura said. "They're holding her hostage if we don't comply with their demands," she put a hand to her mouth and forced back the tears.

"Now that you're up to speed on the situation," Yark Dole said, stepping aside to reveal Amy hanging unconscious in the arms of two men in grey brown robes and army green colored agals.

"Please be willing to negotiate. We can be very reasonable and are prepared to pay handsomely."

"What did you do with Aren?" Snapped Madorna, stepping forward. "Answer or I'll pry you out of that screen."

"He is dead. Surely he told you his past. Try to understand what he did from our point of view," Yark Dole replied coldly. "He also refused our demands, take his death as a warning."

"Bastard," growled Madorna. "You expect me to help you now that you killed my best friend?"

"If you do not we will depart with Amy and you will never see her again," Yark Dole retorted.

"Now, please, be reasonable. Oh, and the Federation warship cannot trace this transmission, so this deal should be relatively easy to hide."

"Can we talk about this later? After the warship leaves?" Lalaparly asked quickly. "Please!"

"No."

"Alright, but if we agree you must return Amy to us," Madorna said carefully.

"She will return unharmed when the Federation warship departs. She will also be carrying three billion credits as advance payment. There will be another three waiting for you once the parts are delivered."

Madorna felt sweat running down his cheek and glanced at Sutura and Lalaparly, who both nodded. Six billion credits was a massive amount, enough to cover damage to the station.

"Alright, we accept these terms," Madorna growled, he never felt more helpless.

"Now that we have settled this matter, I must warn you we need to put on a little show for the Federation. Please wait where you are and do not venture from this room. Things are going to get rather nasty."

* * *

**Vagan (UE) _Fa Raza _class battleship, _Sahaden_**

"Are you sure we should attack?" Asked Therak, the _Sahaden's _captain, a tall, dark-skinned woman. "We need to conserve our resources for Blue Fall."

"True," Yark Dole nodded. "But this ship and that freshly arrived EUBA fleet are operating against the orders of our Federation allies, and so we must make certain they do not threaten Madorna's Workshop. Roughing up the interior with a pseudo attack should do the trick."

"Assuming Decil doesn't go rampaging," Therak intoned.

"Yes, well," Yark Dole cleared his throat, "He promised that would not happen."

"Begin launching missiles at the freighters surrounding the smithy, and damage the portside dock. Make sure not to inflict serious damage."

He pressed a holographic button floating beside him, connecting him to Decil's hidden communicator. "Decil, retreat to the Zedas now and begin an attack run on the mobile suits present. If possible, capture the red Gundam; we saw it enter the smithy's left-hand port. Do _not cause serious damage."_

"Why not?" Decil's voice asked in total disappointment.

"Be thankful I'm letting you do the attack and not someone else. Now go."

Yark Dole sighed as the boy cut the transmission.

* * *

**Madorna's Workshop**

"An attack?" Grodek asked into his earpiece. "I'm on my way."

"I will contact the Whitewind Fleet," Ract said.

"Good. Have them escort the refugees away, the enemy may target them," Grodek instructed. "This is probably the Yellow Shirts doing. They want the Norans killed."

"Vargas!"

"Here," the chief mechanic called, hurrying up. "The Gundam is ready to go."

Grodek glanced up at the Age-1, now sporting lean, blue armor and a green shortsword on its back. Workers for the smithy were moving the Titus Wear parts to a testing hanger.

"Get Flit here immediately," Grodek said.

"I'm here," Flit yelled, running up.

"Flit," Emily yelled, running over to him, Dique not far behind.

"Into the Gundam," Flit commanded, grabbing Emily's arm.

"Hold on," Vargas shouted, "I don't want my granddaughter in there while you fight. You haven't even looked over the Spallow's schematics. She stays here!" He shouted as Flit helped Emily on the lift.

Dique sighed in disappointment at being left out and stepped away from the lift.

"Oh no she won't," Flit snapped back, "Remember the last time I let someone leave the Gundam? She's staying."

Flit strapped himself into the pilot's seat and placed the AGE device into its slot, activating the Spallow. The auxiliary monitor and control panels lit up and painted the dark cockpit in yellow.

"I'm all set," Emily called behind him.

"Then let's hurry, we have a very big problem," Flit said as he sent the Spallow deeper into the facility.

"Wait-where are we going?" Emily cried.

Suddenly the other end of the hanger exploded, fire belched through holes in the wall along with a molten rain of shrapnel. Both Flit and Emily felt the station shudder.

"They're firing on the port!" Emily cried. "Flit, we have to get back there, Grandpa and the others could be killed!"

"Bigger problem," Flit repeated, boosting through a conveyer belt hatch that went through the wall and opened up into an assembly factory. Massive robot arms worked steadily on a series of Shaldoll frames, sending sparks flying up in all directions.

"What is it?" Emily asked, looking around.

"The Zedas," Flit replied, scanning the surrounding area. "I saw it rampaging through the facility and ran here to get the Gundam."

Flit squeezed the control yokes. The Spallow felt light and its response time to his commands was far superior than the Age-1's standard wear, with a great deal of superior speed. He angled the Gundam through the worker arms, searching for the Zedas on the sensor.

He tried to fight off his panic. Yurin was not here. He had to rely on his own piloting skills now, and that worried him. He wracked his brain, trying to remember something she said.

_She said I had the same power as her, but I never knew how to tap into it. Maybe if I concentrate._

The alarm blared and Emily screamed as the Zedas rocketed down in a flash of golden light, kneeing the Spallow to the assembly line below.

Hopping up nimbly, Flit whipped out the Spallow's luminous green blade and blocked a saber blow from the Zedas as it rushed down face-first. It frontflipped down beside the Spallow and swung with its jagged blade again.

Flit blocked the blow and kicked, but the Zedas canceled it with its own kick and rocketed up into the air. "The arm!" Flit and Emily yelled at once as an assembly robot claw swung at the Gundam, its fusion cutter blinding them with light.

With impressive ease, the Spallow somersaulted over the claw, and Flit screamed as he sent the Spallow corkscrewing along the conveyer belt amidst a rain of beam fire.

The Zedas whipped around and performed one of its transforming kicks. Flit boosted out of the way, grabbing the Zedas' arm near the shoulder and hurling it into a robot arm's claw.

The fusion cutter sent a wave of sparks dancing over the Zedas' armor, which reflected the light in a shimmering rain.

Flit bit back a curse as several robot arms, these all having shapers-multi-sawed blades designed for cutting away and shaping ingots and other solid bodies of metal-stabbed at the Spallow, their sensors identifying it as a target for cutting.

A piece of shrapnel went flying past the Spallow, knocking it off course and sending Flit and Emily crashing into metal pillar sprouting worker arms. Flit glanced at the rear monitor to see the Zedas rush out of the blaze of a collapsing tower, unleashing a scattercannon shot at him.

"Of course that cutter wouldn't work," Emily groaned as Flit sent the Spallow flying upwards, the beams melting holes in the ceiling all around it.

After a desperate glance, Flit spun the Spallow around to fly up into a shaft in the ceiling. The Zedas flashed in after it, transforming to stingray mode and filling the shaft with machinegun fire.

Alarms blared threateningly, alerting Flit that the armor on the Spallow was reaching critical heat levels.

"The armor's not very strong!" Flit realized with growing apprehension. _An attack from a saber will cut right through._

He dashed up into open space, angling away to find they were in a furnace room filled with vats of liquefying metal.

"Here it comes," Flit warned Emily as the Zedas dashed up after them, transforming into mobile armor mode and dashing at them with a golden flash of light from its boosters, its visor line lit up and it unleashed a scattercannon shot from the glowing cannon on its chest.

Flit dove toward one of the vats, the Zedas caught up with it and slashed with its saber, but Flit blocked and flipped, letting out its leg to drop kick the Zedas into the molten metal.

Turning around, Flit dashed away even as the Zedas exploded from the glowing pool of fire, speeding up after the Spallow, its visor lit up and it slashed with its saber.

* * *

Yark Dole grit his teeth as he watched the white enemy mobile suit tear apart one of his Gafrans with its two beam longsabers. They could not afford to lose anymore forces, and the damage done to Madorna's Workshop would not be kept minimal if the attack continued.

"Retreat Decil," Yark Dole commanded, pressing the comm. button. "Meet up with us at the coordinates later." He cut the transmission, not wishing to hear anymore backtalk from the child.

"Cloak is up," a Technician called.

"Good," Yark Dole said with a heavy sigh. Even if things did not go well with this deal, he had at least fulfilled his mission to eliminate a potential threat in Aren Takeyo.

The man had gone to the Federation with the proposal to help engineer the Vagan technology so the Federation could fight back. Worse…the masked man squeezed his false hand. Aren possessed the secrets of the Nanos-zsells.

"That would have removed what little advantage we have over the Earth Race," Yark Dole had said upon learning of this. "Aren Takeyo cannot be forgiven for that." It was a dreadful betrayal, one that could have meant life or death for the people of Mars.

"It was necessary," Yark reassured his conscience.

He glanced over at the girl slumped between the two guards, watching her shoulders heave as the tears fell.

* * *

Flit heaved a sigh of relief and caught his breath as he watched the Zedas transform and dart through a breach in the wall its cannon created. The Spallow dropped down onto the floor, the stump of its right arm sparking where the enemy's blade severed the limb.

The only thing he could do was smile in amazement. He had done it. He survived an encounter with the Zedas with only minimal damage to the Gundam, and even kept up with his foe's movements, though he suspected the UE machine had been moving a bit sluggish, as if it needed internal repairs.

None of that mattered to Flit. The Spallow had proved quite formidable, and the next time would be different for the Zedas.

"I did it, Yurin," Flit whispered, he felt like crying, but no tears would come. "Are you proud of me?"

"Flit," Emily said gently, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder.

Flit sighed and straightened. "I'm fine Emily," he said, brushing off the hand with a smile. "Really."

"No you're not," whispered Emily, withdrawing the hand in disappointment.

* * *

"I see, so that's the situation," Grodek said as Madorna finished his plea.

"I refuse to not meet their demands so long as they have Amy Takeo," Madorna said. "Worse, your presence here is now a liability to us."

"We'll leave shortly," Grodek replied. "And thank you for giving us the needed components to upgrade Largan's Genoace. Vargas and Flit can take care of the rest."

"No problem," Madorna replied, "I just wish I could help more."

"Thank you," Grodek smiled. "Please be careful of dealing with Yark Dole," Grodek cautioned.

"Will do," the screen went dark, and Grodek crossed his arms, listening to the hum of the bridge's systems.

_Something felt off about that meeting. Not a question as to why a human was with the supposedly alien UE. What does Mukured Madorna know that he has yet to reveal?_

Grodek sighed; perhaps he was no different, keeping the truth from the _Diva's _crew. He turned to Milias and Woolf, who were standing beside him on the otherwise empty bridge.

"Thankfully, it was a small enemy ship, and not one of the two we dealt with at Fardain."

"They didn't seem to have many MS either," Woolf said with a smile. He turned to Milias and leaned forward. "Well, wasn't my G-Exes awesome?"

Milias closed her eyes and turned away with a determined _hmph. _"You aren't serious enough, Mr. Enneacle."

"Now you know my Gundam's spectacular. Just look at the moves it performs," Woolf said, throwing up his arms theatrically as Milias departed the bridge.

"It's not a Gundam, it's a heavily armored Shaldoll with a redesigned head," Milias retorted.

"You're just saying that," Woolf insisted, "and it is too a Gundam." He followed her out the door.

"Stop following me," Milias snapped as the door closed, her hand whipping toward his face.

Grodek smiled as he heard a loud yelp of pain, then frowned again and stared back at the reflection of his face in the viewport. All the aspects of his plan to destroy the UE wheeled through his mind. How many people would die by its end?

_I know it's selfish._

* * *

**Mars Sphere, Second Moon**

Issishar stared up at the massive body of Mars, hanging majestically in the cream colored artificial sky. She glanced around at the dusty city before her, the long shadows of the buildings flooding the streets as Solar slowly sank beneath the horizon.

_I'm finally back in this world. _She smiled and turned to look up at the Fire Temple. Her father must be suspecting a terrible war to revive her. She could see no other reason.

_Fool. _

At last her ambition of bringing the Earth Sphere to ruin was within her grasp.

She looked up at the ice caps of Mars, imagining the arctic regions of the Earth, where she had been forced to relinquish that precious key. Her heart ached to hold that wondrous thing again; the key that would doom the world.

The priests had asked Issishar if she wanted a new name, a trend apparently common to people who reawakened from cold sleep. Issishar laughed. Father would definitely see the irony in her new moniker.

_Pandora Eve, _she thought to herself. "That has a nice ring to it."

"Now to open my box."


	9. Chapter 9 Phantasm

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam.

* * *

**_Chapter Nine Phantasm_**

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Colony Minsry**

"Is this what Earth is like on the surface?" Flit asked, watching the river flow idly between high forested hills.

Flit stood on a cliff overlooking the colony's mountains. It was a peaceful, beautiful place devoid of Nora or Orvan's noisy cityscape. Yurin would have liked it here; surrounded by nature and not by a world that could never understand her powers.

A twig snapped behind him. Flit turned around, feeling eyes watching him. He saw no one; down the path he had followed or amidst the trees.

Sighing, he turning around and sat down by the cliff, watched a hawk wing away into the pines. He fiddled for the AGE device in his coat pocket, then remembered he had given it over to Grodek. Madorna's Workshop was on its way.

Apparently the deal with the Vagan had gone smoothly, and the mechanic and his men now wanted to be in a place safe from further assaults by the UE. Grodek planned to use the AGE device to upgrade the _Diva's _weapons and draft Madorna into building it.

Not a bad plan, Flit decided. But somehow, it all felt hollow. Upgrading the _Diva, _he should have thought of that. And worse, no upgrades had been made for the Spallow, and Flit had a sinking feeling it desperately needed them. With the AGE System busy on the warship, that would be impossible.

"I can still use the Gundam thanks to my reprogramming, but…"

He stared down at fish leaping up a waterfall. He felt like them at the moment, flailing against an unstoppable current. Nothing had changed. He finished the Gundam yet he failed to save many of those closest to him.

He noticed a human figure swimming underneath the surface of the water and leap out onto the bank beside the cliff. Woolf Enneacle, wearing a white, sleeveless swimsuit shook his hair and started up the trail.

"Man, it's been a while since I've been to such a great spot as this," Woolf said, stopping by Flit. "I'm going to go rock climbing in a minute, want to join me? Wait, you look run down. Didn't I tell you the gravity would get the better of you if you didn't stay in shape?"

Woolf waited a moment for a reply, and when Flit didn't give it, he sat down next to the boy.

"I'm not going to pretend I don't know what's wrong with you," Woolf said, his light attitude evaporating. "Look at me."

Flit obeyed, giving Woolf his best possible expression. "I'm fine, I just came here to relax."

"I'd give you the relax bit, but it is a lie and you know it. You're sulking Flit, and not talking about losing Yurin will only make it worse."

"What would you know? Frankly, I don't care to talk about it with anyone! Everyone I'd confide in is dead," Flit snapped back, he felt a floodgate of rage building and dug five trenches into the ground with his fingers.

"Look at that," Woolf pointed at Flit's hand, "You are furious and keeping it bottled up is going to kill someone. Preferably you and not someone else," he added.

"So," Flit said, "I'll get over it, like I did with my mother. I just need time."

"Time won't fix it if you keep behaving like this," Woolf raised a finger, "I'm the captain of the _Diva's _mobile suit force, that means you're mental state is my business. Getting shot down because of angsting isn't going to happen under my watch," he pointed at Flit's head.

Flit looked down, feeling defeated. He had never wanted to become a pilot in the first place, and in the end it changed nothing.

Nothing had changed.

"I don't think I'll pilot the Gundam anymore. You can use it for a while," Flit said.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Woolf grabbed Flit by the shoulders and shook him, "That's crazy talk coming from you, Flint."

"I'm Flit, and stop calling me that. You confuse people," Flit said, knocking Woolf's arms away. "And I'm not crazy. Besides, I have nothing to fight for now."

"It hurts trying to get up and live your life," Woolf said, his eyes cold, "I've been there myself once before I became the famous, wealthy, ace Federation pilot I am today. And you know, the people I lost will always be worth more than all of those achievements."

"But you know why I keep going? Because I know that quitting would be a real letdown to those people."

"They're dead, they can't be disappointed in anything I do," Flit observed morbidly.

"I think the real problem is you still don't know if you really _loved _Yurin. Right? Of course I am. You didn't spend enough time together, so you feel cheated. You can't even decide how to remember her."

"If that is true, what do you expect to do about it?" Flit challenged.

"Nothing I can do, except remind you that Emily is still here, and she's been watching you for a long time. Take it from a guy who's courted dozens of ladies and got married. She likes you. A lot. Don't you think you should at least try to move on for her?"

"I don't really care about Emily, she's a sister. Besides, I don't think she feels quite the way you think. And a girlfriend won't solve my problem."

"Well she does think of you that way," Woolf said, "You just haven't seen it. And if she's not good enough, then sit here and mope. But remember that wallowing in your misery is worse than trying get up and live. Especially for the rest of us watching you."

Woolf stood and went to the edge of the cliff. "Here's a tip, go swimming or something. Get your mind on something fun." He leapt in the air and executed a perfect dive, knifing into the water below.

Flit stared idly after the retreating Woolf and scowled, looking away in irritation.

Flit tapped the side of his head. "X-Rounder. That's what Grodek said Yurin was. Does that mean I have that power too? I guess I'll never know. It doesn't mean anything if I can't use it."

He drew his knees up and nestled his head into his crossed arms.

* * *

Grodek turned from his computer to confront Milias. "I'm afraid we don't have time, Madorna will be arriving shortly."

"I apologize. I don't know if you can help me regardless."

"What seems to be the problem?" Grodek folded his hands. "You said this had to do with feelings you were getting during the battle."

"Well, I do not know how to describe it. I've always been a very sensitive person, but during Fardain I definitely felt something strange."

"I somehow knew that the homing beacons were not mines. I've had other premonitions, but none like that. I even had my peripheral vision clouded by what looked like...green water. I know I'm three steps from you sending me to the ship psychiatrist."

"Not at all," Grodek assured Milias, much to her relief. "We don't have a psychiatrist."

"It sounds as though you may be on the verge of awakening precognitive abilities."

"You're joking," Milias said, shocked, "You don't believe in such nonsense."

"On the contrary. Not many know this, but the Federation of the past experimented on individuals, eventually creating a series of clones that had an extra organ in their brains. This organ gave them enhanced awareness, telepathic powers, precognition, essentially they came to possess extrasensory powers. They were known thus as Extrasensors, and became deadly human weapons."

As Grodek spoke, Milias eyes widened in disbelief.

"Evidently, these genetic alterations were transferred through DNA and so the offspring of an Extrasensor came to possess the same organ, or at least some extrasensory perception above average humans."

"The Federation of today calls these descendants 'X-Rounders', because their power is rounded from Extrasensors, and the organ in the brain was refered to as the X region."

"Are you saying I'm one of these?" Milias asked incredulously. "What does this mean?"

"There is nothing to fear. The Federation is totally forbidden from forcing X-Rounders to serve them, thanks to the Silver Chalice Treaty, or from expanding anymore research and development in that area, especially in the realm of genetic tampering."

"Well, that explains why I wasn't accosted by scientists when I joined," Milias breathed out a sigh of relief. "At least I'm not losing my mind."

"It could be very useful having extrasensory powers," Grodek said, "I would even suggest tapping into them. We could use that power at Ambat."

Milias frowned. "That makes sense. Tell me, you seem awfully casual about this. Are you an X-Rounder?"

"No, but the coincidence of you coming to me is intriguing. Flit was here not long ago, asking about Yurin L'ciel, who apparently had prominent X-Rounder powers. Flit states that she identified him as one, and even brought out that ability for him when they fought together."

The door opened just then, and Mukured Madorna entered, followed by his purple haired wife, Lalaparly.

Grodek turned his computer around as they approached, revealing a complex schematic on its screen. "Madorna, it is good to see you arrived safely."

"Yes, well we almost didn't meet the deadline with those UE scum. They confiscated all the data I had on the parts they had me build them too."

"It's alright," Grodek said. "Take a look at this," he pointed at the plans, "Do you think you can build this?"

"What is it exactly?"

"A new weapon for the _Diva, _a photon blaster cannon, designed by the AGE System."

Madorna and Lalaparly looked over the plans. After a moment, Lalaparly looked up, "We can do this, but how long do you plan on sitting. We'd have to take the _Diva _apart."

"Understood," Grodek said. "It may take up to three months for us to gather all our forces. Can you have it done by then?"

"It may be five or six at best," Madorna warned. "This is beyond anything I have ever seen. Something that is in that precarious position where we don't even know how it works exactly, same with the UE parts. We couldn't make heads or tails of what we were being asked to create, let alone incorporate into a mobile suit."

"Technology like this is science fiction," Lalaparly said, gesturing with her hand, "But we can handle it. Four months; you have our word."

"Excellent. You may begin preparations the minute we return from our meeting with the Treasure Star caravan."

"The Treasure Star?" Madorna and Lalaparly exchanged glances.

"In that case, there's someone there Sutura would like to meet."

* * *

"But why me, exactly?" Milias asked as Woolf practically dragged her along to the colony elevator ramp. "If Flit won't listen to a pilot, he certainly won't listen to me."

"He needs someone he looks up to," Woolf stated. "Aren't you two close or something?"

"Kinda," Milias said, quirking an eyebrow, "But you know, I like his idea of not piloting the Gundam anymore. If you want help motivating him, wouldn't Emily be a better choice?"

"She refused because she's perfectly happy with his retarded state of mind," Woolf complained, "Heck, Flit doesn't need to be reminded of any romantic interests right now."

"Neither do I," mumbled Milias, sparing Largan a glance as the man past by, a somewhat bemused look on his face. Milias just shrugged and waved.

"Are you sure this isn't a tactic to get me alone in the wilderness?"

Woolf glanced over his shoulder, flashing a signature smile, "It _might _be."

"Oh brother," Milias groaned, letting Woolf drag her along.

* * *

Emily looked out over the beautiful landscape of Minsry, watching the artificial sun pour captured sunlight into the paradise below.

Sighing and hanging her head, Emily glanced over at the silent little Haro sitting next to her. The new personality chip had turned the little machine into the child's playmate it was supposed to be. Somehow it just felt as if another part of her life at Nora had slipped away.

The boisterous smart-mouthed Haro would have something to sneer at this moment to get her mind of her troubles. Maybe that was what the little machine's personality had been intended to do from the beginning.

"Emily sad. Emily s-a-d," the robot stuttered in a piteous voice. Emily felt all the more pathetic. She was depressing a soulless robot.

"Sorry Haro," Emily breathed, looking back out at the landscape. "I wish I could have found Flit."

The unnerving thought was that she had a sinking feeling he didn't want her to find him.

* * *

"You think I should pilot again, even though you are essentially opposed to the idea," Flit said slowly, staring at Milias as if she had grown a second head.

"Yes?" Milias said after a moment. Behind her, Woolf smacked his forehead with his palm.

"Milias, why did you do this for him?" Flit deadpanned, staring at the exasperated Woolf.

"I," she shrugged, "Well don't ask that question, I don't know why. But I do know that you are depressed and that sulking out here in the middle of this wilderness is going to hurt you."

"And taking an instrument of war into a battle against an advanced alien race isn't going to?"

"That's not what she meant," Woolf interrupted before Milias could reply.

Milias smiled wryly at Woolf, "Thank you dear, now could you please shut up?"

"As I was saying—Flit?" She looked to find the boy had gotten up and started into the forest.

"Well, I've never had him do that before."

"Didn't I tell you he was bad," Woolf said, gesturing with his hand. "Too much more of this and he'll throw himself off one of these cliffs."

"Didn't you do that for fun yesterday?"

Woolf scowled, "I jumped off. And there was water at the bottom," he crossed his arms.

"Alright Daredevil, it's time to go back. We'll be leaving for Polous soon."

The two of them started off, arguing over the _Diva's _launch procedures.

Decil stopped listening, and turned his eyes toward the retreating Flit, who was almost back at his usual spot by the cliff.

"Well, Mr. Flit, if you don't want the Gundam, I'll take it for myself."

Giggling, the child turned about and started after Woolf and Milias.

* * *

"And he is?" Vargas asked, rather incredulously.

"Decil Galette," the little crimson haired boy said with a smile.

"Where did he come from?" Vargas asked Milias and Woolf.

"We found him wondering around," Milias said. She turned to glare irritably at Woolf, "and this guy got seduced by his cute smile and agreed to let him come with us to the _Diva._" She jammed an elbow painfully into Woolf's ribs.

Woolf rubbed his side and glared back, "Well, I just thought for a minute. And don't you think it's bad to leave a kid like that wandering around all alone?" He patted Decil on the head. "Besides, we met before at Madorna's. He nearly ran into me after running into some random storage container."

"But how did you get here? And where are your parents?" Milias asked sternly, leaning down over Decil, who cringed and stepped closer to Woolf.

"Come on, you're scaring him Milias," Woolf complained. "He said he was lost when his parents came here to hike."

"Not everyone has access to this colony," Milias whispered in Woolf's ear, or hissed rather. "How did they get inside in the first place and why aren't they looking for him?"

"We don't know that they're not." Woolf replied evenly. He smirked. "And you're standing too close."

Milias jerked back with a huff and started off. "Vargas, this is your problem now. Mr. Babysitter better keep a stern eye on Decil, or I'll inform the Captain of what he's been doing."

"Uh, oh—right," Vargas said, looking back and forth the between the two adults as Decil floated off deeper into the hanger.

The old man scratched his head, "Sheesh, this place gets more confusing all the time. What's next, psychic teenagers?"

* * *

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Flit asked, staring confusedly into the cockpit of the AGE-1.

Decil Galette stared back with wide gold eyes. "Exploring. Why are you here?"

"I came to get something," Flit said, still confused why the little brat was inside his Gundam.

"Hey, Flint," called Woolf floating up into view. "He wanted to check out the Gundam, so I thought it couldn't hurt."

"Alone?" Flit asked incredulously.

"Oh, I'm in here too, Flit," Largan called from the passenger seat.

"Largan, what are you doing there?" Woolf asked, moving past Flit. "I only left for a second."

"He was helping me pilot the Gundam!" Decil said enthusiastically. "Largan, the Bisidian are still out there!"

"Sorry bud, playtime is over," Largan said, looking up and shrugging at a fuming Flit Asuno.

"Yeah, this isn't a toy," Woolf said.

"Then why did you let him in?" Flit said through gritted teeth.

"Come on Decil, I'll show you my new Genoace. It's much different from the usual models," Largan suggested.

"Oh but my G-Exes is ten times more awesome," Woolf interjected," grabbing Decil's hand.

"Even if it's just a kid, they want to show off their mobile suits," Flit noted dryly, moving inside the cockpit. He pulled out a compartment underneath the control panel, pulling out Yurin's ribbon.

"Now I can give the Gundam to you, Woolf," he thought absently, trying hard to forget that the AGE-1 had been the focus of his entire existence.

As he sailed out, Flit glanced down to see Vargas and Dique coming up to meet him.

"Flit, glad to see you decided to join us," called the engineer.

"You should let us show you the Titus parts and their upgrades, they're pretty sweet," offered Dique. "It has three beam sabers in the knees now. And its shoulder spikes can swivel and become a beam machinegun!"

"Pipe down, he knows," Vargas chided, pushing down the enthusiastic fist Dique was pumping in the air. "If they sold plastic model kits of these things you'd be a sucker for sure."

"What did you mean, Vargas? Are we going somewhere?" Asked Flit.

"Yeah, to an old storage satellite. The Treasure Star caravan is meeting us there," Dique said. "Didn't you know we were leaving?"

"Just great," Flit muttered, floating past Vargas and Dique without a word. He looked down at the cloth in his hand. Just when he decided to let go, fate had forced him on another of the _Diva's _escapades.

* * *

**_Diva, _En route to Polous Storage Satellite**

"So," Largan said, fiddling next to Milias as she sat in the break room just below the bridge, sipping a cup of instant coffee.

"'So' what?" Milias asked.

"You know," Largan said awkwardly. "What did you do with Woolf down in Minsry. There's lots of activities to choose from: hiking, swimming, spelunking, climbing."

Milias blushed and shook her head profusely. "Oh no no, it wasn't a date. He just wanted me to talk some sense into Flit is all."

"…Oh," Largan said, fiddling again. "Sorry."

"So?" Milias brushed a lock of hair from her eyes.

"I was just worried that Woolf might over stress you is all. I heard he's got a fetish for extreme sports."

"That's true," she replied, still swishing her coffee.

"Well, so long as you weren't forced to climb a sheer cliff, I'm not worried," Largan said.

"Actually, I enjoy mountain climbing," Milias said after a moment. "You should know that by now after all the time we've been friends."

Largan flushed and looked away. "I-I knew that."

"Liar." Milias pouted, sucking in a cheek.

At that moment, both felt something pass overhead. They glanced up, but saw nothing.

"Hey," Woolf's voice called from the entrance, letting go of the lift-grip and pushing off into the room. "Did Decil go this way?"

"Woolf!" Milias snapped, sitting up, "What did I tell you about losing him?"

"He got away, what can I say?" Woolf threw up his hands. "It's not like I'm used to keeping up with hyper seven-year-olds."

Milias was about to launch into a full and carefully prepared lecture about the dangers loose children can cause on warships when suddenly she felt a flash of the green halo.

"We have to find that child, quick," she said, starting at the surprise in her own voice.

"What's gotten into you, Milias?" Largan asked with raised eyebrows.

"He's just a kid, and the _Diva _won't be going into battle. What's your problem?" Woolf raised an empty hand. "Milias?"

"I suddenly have a bad feeling about him being here. Isn't there something odd about this child? He was on Fardain, and we know there must have been precious few survivors there. And after that Madorna's Workshop, and now here. Just who are his parents?"

"Who indeed," Woolf said absently.

"Hm, do you have an idea?" Milias asked.

Woolf looked up, thumb rubbing his chin. He waved the other hand dismissively, "No. Never mind, I haven't gotta clue."

"I think I might," Largan spoke up hesitantly. "Now that you mention it, he was with one of those Star's Harbinger priests."

"What?!" Woolf and Milias cried in unison.

"That's major," Milias cried. "It's rumored that they are directly related to the UE."

"Whew," Woolf breathed a heavy sigh. "Wasn't one of those priests that Yark Dole character who kidnapped Amy Takeo from the Workshop? That Decil is in a heap of trouble it sounds like."

"Decil is a UE child," Milias realized. "This is bad, he's a spy that's been observing us this whole time!"

"Hold it. This is jumping the gun a little," Woolf snapped. "We don't know any of this for sure. I mean, he looks perfectly human."

"But the coincidence of him meeting us not once but three times is too bizarre to ignore."

"And we can probably screw the idea of the UE being extraterrestrials as being nothing more than popular media hype or outright Federation propaganda," Largan supplied. "In that case, Decil wouldn't have to be inhuman to be a UE."

"Alright." Woolf threw up his hands and sighed, closing his eyes. "I brought him here. I will be the one to find him." He pushed out the door, throwing up a hand to stop any objections.

"He looked pretty disturbed," Milias commented with a frown. "That's unusual for him to get worked up over a child. Isn't it?"

"Well, we don't know him that well all things considered. For being a big windbag, he's sure got a soft spot for that boy."

"It is odd considering how out of character it is. But let's talk about this later. I'm going to the bridge to use the cameras. You start looking around too. He's probably in the MS deck anyway."

"Can't argue that," Largan admitted with a sigh as he too stepped out of the room.

Watching from behind a corner, Decil waited for Largan to leave, then pushed off and sailed out of the room, moving in the opposite direction of Milias. That woman was like him, he could feel it. So she was blessed with Vega's power too, just like Mr. Flit and Ms. Yurin.

The poor fool, that Largan he was following, couldn't sense a thing. Good, because Decil didn't need the man knowing he was being tailed.

* * *

"Listen to me Angrazzo," Ract snapped over his secure earpiece transmitter. "The _Diva _is on its way. You had better move your people out of Polous this instant. NO-don't go to Titit, we're heading there afterward to acquire some battleships from Alzack Birmings, the leader of Minsry."

"No I don't want them destroyed; I want them left well enough alone. God blast you no attacking the Treasure Star either until I give the signal, I have to confirm whether or not they have that particular item I'm searching for. I have to go, Grodek is a master hacker and crytanologist, he might be listening even as we speak."

Ract cut the transmission and straightened as he walked out of his private quarters aboard the _Diva. _He reminded himself that even if Grodek learned of his plans, the captain could do nothing to Ract so long as the Whitewind fleet sailed with them.

_The Bisidian pirates waiting in the wings ahead of us, and my Whitewind Fleet surrounding us, _Ract chuckled as he grabbed a lift-grip and sped along the Diva's halls, having forgone his magnet-soled shoes. _You and this ship are mine to do with as I please, Grodek._

_And you know it don't you, _his smile grew poisonous. _ In the end, it is Ract Elfamel you should fear most. There is unimaginable power waiting somewhere out here in the depths of space._

"And I am going to be the man who finds it."

* * *

**Treasure Star Caravan flagship, _Grand Wings_**

Captain Sirius of the Treasure Star took a bite of curried fish, smiling at the delicious, exotic flavor. It reminded him of his days in India, before the government arrived to throw him into outer space like so much unwanted trash.

For that, Sirius Ainoa forever hated the Federation. And everyone aboard his ship knew it.

Which was why Lhuga Kat and Fox Takeo, the caravan's primary mobile suit pilots, were standing in his office today wondering what had gotten into their captain.

"This isn't like you," Lhuga said, her cloth form-fitting mask covering most of her face from her nose and below. Her bright, feral eyes flickered with her annoyance.

"I'm just here to straight-jacket you if we don't get a good explanation," Fox said, throwing up his hands.

Sirius laughed, remembering when the other man had to stop Sirius from knifing a blustering, weasel-like customs official from FTC when the man insulted him and the _Grand Wings_.

"I assure you that this is a different case."

"A renegade cruiser or not, they're still Federation people," objected Lhuga coldly. Her own hatred of the Federation was quite poignant too. "I don't trust Feddies, much less turncoat Feddies."

Lhuga and Fox were both part of Mobile Defense Works, a private security force agency that specialized in MS. Most of its pilots operated illegally modified suits and thus it frequently butted heads with the Federation.

Having one of the Federation's warships approach always put them on edge.

"I understand your fears, but this time's different. The man in charge is my cousin, Grodek. He's a trustworthy guy. So no pointing guns, alright?"

"Sure." Fox said, sounding slightly agitated, the man whirled around and started into the brightly lit hallway.

Lhuga sighed and stretched, "I'll be in the mobile suit bay if you need me to launch."

"Oh get out, I have curry to finish," snapped Sirius, only half joking.

A crash rattled the ship and send Sirius' dinner flying across the room. The lights flickered. An echoing boom sounded from the aft section of the vessel.

"Get to the MS bay," commanded Sirius, rushing out of the room, the two pilots already gliding down the hall. He heard another boom, this one accompanied by a shockwave that rattled his teeth.

The depressurization alarm shrieked in his ear, and as he started for the bridge, he felt a slight breeze tugging at his cheeks.

"What the hell is going on?" He muttered. He stopped by a storage room.

Inside, a black, triangular obelisk lay anchored by form-fit clamps to the floor. The traces running along its smooth surface pulsed with a faint violet light.

"You stupid thing," he muttered, even as the ship trembled as something struck it. "I don't call myself superstitious, but these rumors about these old things being jinxed is getting a bit too surreal."

_And_-he mused as the ship rattled again and sent him flying into the wall-_getting dangerously close to accurate_.

Sirius pushed off for the elevator mere feet away, only for the world around him to literally invert itself so the elevator was _above _him.

"_What is attacking us_?!" He screamed even as the rush of air grew enough to start dragging him away from the elevator. An explosion rent the air with heat and shrapnel. He grabbed the wire-gun in his pocket and fired the magnet clamp into another corridor, yanking himself away from the wave of flames surging toward him.

A painful pop alerted him to the change in pressure, along with an onrush of air. The blaze behind him vanished away, sucked into the vacuum. The wire-gun's pull motor whined as it tried to pull him to the wall.

Finally he heard the puffy sound of birdlime clay sealing the massive gap in the ship's hull around the corner. Sighing with relief as the driving wind vanished, he detached the magnet clamp and rushed into another corridor, intent on reaching another elevator to the bridge.

Suddenly the floor exploded in front of him, a giant claw rising imperiously into the air, its tip glowing from a bundle of charged beam energy. It discharged a pillar of light that sprayed the ground with a rain of burning meteors of beam fire and molten steel.

Sirius shrieked in pain as the arms covering his head had dozens of holes burn into him, along with several in his torso and four in his left foot. He looked up to see the claw descend on him like a hammer.

Diving to the side Sirius fired the wire-gun past the claw and dashed past as the monstrous appendage began tearing at the walls, ripping pieces of metal and slicing them apart in a thrashing spasm.

The wind sucked at Sirius' face, tugging at his jacket toward the hole where the claw had appeared. A slot appeared overhead and detached a dull green blob that quickly expanded, exploding into the gap and sealing off most of the space.

Without preamble, the claw darted back down the breach, grabbing the floor as it did to tear it away.

As often happens, time slowed for Sirius. His body grew frigidly cold in an instant. The wire-gun was yanked from the wall along with him as he sailed down into space.

He watched the monstrous machine below, its pair of claws ripping the pieces of metal girders and hull apart like shredded wrapping paper. Sirius swiveled around to face his ship, just as another clawed monster tore its way into the hull.

In his last moments of life, Sirius watched the second monster withdraw its claw with a jerk of shrapnel and hold up the black obelisk in triumph.

* * *

"What in the world happened here?" Adams asked in total disbelief, a bead of sweat dotting his brow as he searched his scanner for any sign of the fleet that must have done this.

In the viewport of the _Diva, _the Treasure Star caravan lay in tatters. Dozens of vessels ranging in size from _Darwins _to large rectangular transports slowly spun within a field of their own debris.

The largest ship, a massive thing shaped like a pair of giant wings with a cylinder between them nestled within a central tube, floated close by. Its hull was ripped open; its bridge window a charred, hollowed-out space, and one of its wings maimed and twisted. A fire still raged in the engine block, a glow not too different from the dying embers of a campfire.

"I count at least fifty ships out there: all inoperable. We need to get closer to scan for survivors."

"The Treasure Star was a big fleet," Grodek said, his voice grimmer than the bridge crew had ever heard it, even more so than Nora.

"Most of them were either smugglers, arms dealers, or other rabble the Federation cared little for," Ract said, sitting in a chair next to Grodek's.

"Then it's probably no use asking the Federation for assistance," Adams muttered bitterly.

Ract waved a hand, "We'll have to begin the rescue operation ourselves. The _Chalcedonies _will begin picking up survivors. We'll deposit them when we arrive at Titit."

"In the meantime I want the _Diva _to inspect that winged ship," Grodek said. "It's the _Grand Wings, _the Treasure Star's flagship. Begin scanning for survivors. Edward and Cory keep an eye out for whatever did this."

"If it's UE I should be with the Whitewind Fleet," Ract said, rising from his chair. "I'll alert you when I arrive aboard the _Horizon."_

Onette Cory forced a laugh when Ract was gone. "He sure has a way with naming his ships. I wonder if that was on purpose?"

"Ract on the horizon?" Milias asked, eyebrow quirked.

"Stay focused, we are in a high alert situation," Grodek commanded, silencing the crew.

All four of the crew members looked at their captain as they watched his fists clinch tighter and tighter. "Find anyone you can."

* * *

"It looks like we found something," one of the pod operators stated over the static laced comm. line. "Three people inside what looks like an escape pod."

The EUBA worker unit spun around with a hiss of propellant and began to pick its way through the debris, using its manipulator to move aside metal wires.

"Life readings normal, one woman and two men," the worker pod operator announced.

Ahead, the nose of the arrow shaped _Diva _blinked with a yellow light through the debris as it plowed to the underside of the mangled left wing of the _Grand Wings. _

"We've received orders," the first pod worker said, boosting away from the wreckage. "We are to return the survivors to the _Diva._"

A mass of wires flew quite suddenly from the debris and wrapped around the first worker pod, causing the pilot to cry out and nearly lose the escape capsule.

"What was that?" The first pilot asked, his voice growing tense, "Was it UE?"

The second worker pod moved over and began using a fusion cutter to tear through the chords. "What knocked these over here?"

As the first pilot waited anxiously to be freed from the chords, his eyes noticed the wreckage nearby shift and spin off in different directions, as if something had _moved._

"Hey, something's out there!" The pilot said, his voice rising in fear. "There's nothing on scanner!"

"I don't see anything," the second pilot announced. "Stop getting worked up."

"I know but"-

-Go get the people aboard, if there are UE out here, we need to get them to safety."

"Right," The man started his worker pod forward, only to feel the propellant tanks emptying against an unstoppable grip. "I-I I'm not moving!" He cried, growing frantic.

"Relax, I don't see anything," the other pilot drawled, his voice growing annoyed. "Come on Talles don't be a pussy."

Talles meant to reply only for the worker pod to shoot forward as the eidolon grip released the pod.

"God, I swear there was something holding me down," Talles said, his voice still shaky.

"Come on," the second pilot sneered, "Let's go."

Talles took a glance back. He saw nothing and continued on, his palms sweaty.

* * *

"Whew, thanks a bunch for saving us," Lhuga said stretching her arm, "I thought I was going to die," she said, sitting back down in the medical bay.

"No," Onette said with a short laugh, "thank _you _for not having any serious injuries. We lost our acting doctor when we launched from Nora and the assistants at Fardain. I know emergency first aid, but I couldn't fix a maimed limb or ruptured organ."

"Thank you anyway, Officer Cory," Fox said, sitting up and flexing his fingers, one of which was bandaged from where Onette had extracted a piece of glass.

"Call me Onette," she replied, "I'm not a commissioned officer right now."

Fox ignored Lhuga's snicker at that and glanced over at the other man lying unconscious on the bed next to him. "How about Kotetsu?"

"Well," Onette said with a heavy exhalation, "I'm not sure about _him. _You two woke up pretty easily, but this one hasn't. I ran some tests. I can't be certain, but he may have suffered a mild to very light concussion. In a coma as he is, all we can really do is wait for him to wake up, unless we somehow acquire a proper acting physician aboard ship."

"He'd better wake up soon, I need some food," Lhuga said, getting up and sauntering toward the exit.

"So he's a cook?" Onette asked, looking down at the young man and his scruffy straw blonde hair and dirty white teeshirt.

"A chef," corrected Fox. "The best in the fleet."

"That reminds me, the captain demanded to speak with you both the moment I released you," Onette said. "Please follow me; he wants to know what happened."

"Fair enough," Fox nodded. "Lead the way."

"Where's the other one gone?" Onette suddenly asked, looking at the exit where Lhuga had just been.

"It's better not to have her with us. Besides, she's heading to the MS deck, you just watch."

* * *

Inside the bowels of the _Horizon's _darkened auxiliary bridge, Ract Elfamel leaned his chin against his laced fingers as he stared with a raised eyebrow at the grizzled teenager on the other end.

Angrazzo Lambro's black hair fell to just below his ears, his face covered in a scraggly beard. An eye patch with a mechanical lens covered his right eye. His open shirt revealed a muscular chest with the Bisidian Pirate's symbol tattooed prominently upon it. He wore a bandanna about his left arm and a black ring on his finger with a trio of glittering diamonds. Over all, Angrazzo certainly looked like a pirate.

"You cannot expect me to believe you," Ract said, keeping his voice low but clear. "I told you not to fire upon the Treasure Star fleet until _I _ordered it. I wanted us to be gone before you attacked! That way I could verify if the item in question was in fact the data piece I was looking for." He started tapping a finger against his other hand.

"I swear it wasn't us," insisted Angrazzo, waving his arms, his lips turned up to reveal a set of white but chipped teeth.

"Captain Lambro," Interrupted Ract, throwing all the weight of his authority into his voice, "You can't expect me to believe a group of invisible monsters decimated the Treasure Star for the specific role of stealing _the _obelisk I came here to acquire."

"And I'm telling you that's what happened!" The pirate snapped back. "There were three of them! And they ripped open the _Grand Wings _like it was paper! Then these homing lasers appeared and started punching through ten vessels at a time!" He leaned forward as he said this, eyes bulging. "I never saw the like of it before!"

"Homing Lasers?" Ract asked in disbelief. He bit back a laugh, "That's preposterous. Where is the obelisk." Ract demanded coldly, his voice dripping with menace. "Tell. Me. The Truth."

"I swear over my dead body, Ract. _I'm not crossing you. _One of the monsters became visible-looked like a crab thing-ripped the relic right out of the flagship and took off with it. They're cursed those old space relics," he jabbed a finger at Ract. "I did, I tried to warn you. But you didn't listen. Now we're taking the other relics we have and either giving them to you now or dump'n them where we sit."

"Oh no you aren't," Ract said simply. "Do that and I'll rip out that other eye of yours and have that precious tattoo burned off. As a matter of fact, I'll burn all your skin off, and your crewmates can use your charred skeleton as a mascot for your pirate ship."

Angrazzo gulped visibly and straightened. "Those monsters might be after us even as we speak! Our ship's on its way. We're sending that other obelisk over, we'll take the rest back to our other hideout in the Sargo Zone."

The screen went dark, and Ract pounded his fist against the console in fury, cracking the screen. "Damn you little punk. I made you. You are my creature and I'll unmake you if you get in my way again."

* * *

**_Diva _Hanger Bay**

Flit approached the AGE Builder just in time to see Mukured Madorna and Vargas finishing up a conversation.

"I think I have an understanding for how this ship is built now," Mukured admitted. "When we return to Minsry, I'll start the overhaul."

"I look forward to working with you," Vargas said.

"Vargas," Flit said, walking over to them. "Why are we still here? It's been an hour."

"Be patient," Vargas snapped, holding up his hands, "We're searching for survivors."

"Yeah, you don't want to leave my friends in a lurch do you?" Lhuga said, drifting past Flit, her face mask pulled down to reveal a feline grin. She winked and stopped by Madorna, smiling. "Long time no see Muki."

"I swear all you aces have a habit with nicknames," Madorna put his head in his hand. "I told you not to call me that, Kat!"

"Look who's talking, I don't like that name," complained Lhuga with an overexagerated whimper, sticking out her lip.

"Listen, I need you to build me a new mobile suit, since the last one got trashed by invisible pincers," Lhuga said, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together, "I got the dough, so…"

"What did you have in mind," Madorna asked, stepping back slightly.

Lhuga pointed at the G-Exes. "I want one of those. That's Woolf's suit right?"

"How did you know?" Woolf asked, drifting down from the white machine, one arm firmly pinning a struggling Decil to his side. "Long time no see, Kat."

Hissing in rage, Lhuga whirled on Woolf. "I told you not to call me that. I swear, between you, Fox, his brother, and me, we might as well be a petting zoo."

"Well they make you a cat in the game," Woolf said. "What's wrong with that?"

"Game?" Flit glanced over at Mukured.

"Woolf has a whole line of successful games made after him. But the characters are all animals. Kat's angry because she's a supporting character who only pops up irregularly."

"It's so not fair!" Lhuga whined. "That kid brother of Fox's, Jaden gets cast as a stupid 'jay' bird and gets a major role in the game, when all he does is skulk about Muki's workshop! I'm a famous MS Grand Tournament Champion! I have a bigger fanbase and deserve more than cameos as a pink cat!"

After a moment of awkward silence, Lhuga looked down at the squirming seven-year-old wrestling to get away from Woolf. "Who's the kid? I thought your brats disappeared with your ex a long time ago."

"Wrong kid," Woolf said with an angry smile.

"But he looks just like her," Lhuga said, bending down to look closer at Decil, who stared back angrily.

"PUT ME DOWN!" Shrieked Decil at the top of his voice.

"Not a chance." Woolf replied as he held Decil up by one leg, "Not after I had to scour the ship for you. The Captain wants to clear some things up with you first, then you can go."

"But"-Decil stopped and suddenly smiled deviously. "Things are about to get nasty."

"Huh?" Woolf asked, raising an eyebrow.

Disinterested, Flit turned to go. A violent crash blasted his eardrums, and he held his hands over his ears as the hanger echoed. Another crash, and then a third followed, this time the floor of the hanger vibrated.

"What's that?" Flit asked looking around wildly.

"Hey stop him!" Yelled Woolf.

Flit looked to see Decil speeding for the Spallow's open hatch. Whipping out his wire-gun, Flit fired at the Gundam and started over, no way that brat was going to get in the Gundam at a time like this.

* * *

"What was the source of that banging?" Grodek demanded.

"Nothing on the sensors," Onette reported.

"Same here," Edward said helplessly.

"Look"-Adams pointed at one of the main beam cannons positioned just below the bridge. The crew watched in stunned silence as the metal was still being bent inward by invisible blows, then was suddenly grabbed and hurled from the ship.

"Looks like that Fox's report was unnerving correct," Grodek said dourly. "Adams spin us around and take us out of here. Edward, prepare all weapons. Milias, get our mobile suits prepped for battle and bring us to Level One combat alert. Cory, keep scanning the area for any possible signs of the enemy, and check all frequency channels for transmissions or disruptive signals."

Grodek turned to Milias and Adams, "We're heading to Titit. Alert the _Horizon _of your course and present condition and ask them to scan the area for abnormal movements."

"Yes Sir," Milias said, punching through to the Whitewind Fleet's flagship. "_Horizon, _this is the _Diva, _we are under attack by enemies we cannot detect. Our present objective is to reach Colony Titit, please follow and tell us if you see any sign of the aggressor."

At the same time, her hands flew over the keyboard and launched an automated speaker to fly across the intercom, alerting the mobile suit pilots to prepare for immediate launch.

"Have Flit take the Spallow Wear," Grodek suggested to Milias, "That way we can respond more quickly to wherever the enemy shows itself."

Grodek sat back, his mind racing. The confirmed death of Sirius had hit him hard. Harder than he first thought it would. His last family was gone and the murderer was out there now, stalking his ship.

* * *

After he calmed down, Ract supposed he should think the situation over more carefully. Something monstrous _had _laid waste to the fleet, and Angrazzo didn't have the means to total _all _the ships in the caravan, though it still looked like his handiwork. It might be the UE, but somehow this didn't match up with their habits.

He watched the black pirate vessel sneak over to one of his _Chalcedony _ships and eject a crate. The crate was guided by a laser target system into the hold of the _Chalcedony_, then the black _Darwin _turned around and sped away at full speed into the asteroid field.

At that moment, an alert sounded and the captain of the _Horizon _appeared on a nearby monitor. "Lord Elfamel," the man said, "the _Diva _reports it has fallen under attack by an invisible enemy."

Ract felt his eye twitch. "Their current condition?"

"Their main cannon is down. We also have reports of something being sighted outside the flotsam, though it vanished from our visuals quickly. The _Justine _also reports having one of its beam cannons heavily battered."

"Did we find any survivors?" Ract asked.

"We don't have a full head count yet. And the operation isn't complete."

"Take us out with the _Diva. _Grodek is a sensible man. If he is spooked enough, let's flee regardless if we're finished with the rescue." He waved a hand, silencing his conscience as it gnawed at him for abandoning the survivors.

"My Lord, shouldn't we at least remain long enough to finish the recovery?"

"We should but I don't think it's morally right to stay stupidly when the instigators of this carnage are biting at our heels," Ract reasoned, more to himself than the captain. "We may end up joining the survivors rather than saving them."

The man set his face in a stern frown and saluted. "As you wish, My Lord," and the screen went dark.

* * *

"Decil!" Flit hissed over his normal suit's comm. as he pounded against the cockpit hatch of the Spallow, which was cruising along beside the _Diva's _bridge tower.

"I want to play with the Gundam some more, Mr. Flit," Decil said. His voice had a strangely mature quality to it, and Flit somehow got the feeling that Decil meant something quite more serious than fiddling with the controls.

"This isn't a toy Decil!" Flit screamed. "We could be killed!"

"No we won't." Decil assured Flit nonchalantly, as if he entered combat situations every day.

"The enemy is invisible!" Flit yelled, slamming his fist down again so hard it hurt.

"So? What's that matter?" Decil asked, sounding utterly baffled. "That matters to you?"

"You sound like you've seen me in this situation before," Flit yelled angrily. "I can't fire at what I can't see."

"But you did before"-Decil suddenly cut the link.

"What?" Flit asked in bewilderment. "When did I do that?"

Suddenly the cockpit hatch opened, and Flit dashed inside. The hatch closed and the Spallow went into a spiral of maneuvers, orange tinted beam blasts streaking past the blue Gundam.

"What's going on?" Flit yelled as he was send banging against the sides of the cockpit. Now he knew how Yurin felt. He grabbed the buckle to the passenger seat and somehow pulled himself down and strapped in.

He looked at the rear monitor to see beam blasts firing from random directions with no source in sight.

"This is suicide Decil!" He yelled. But as he watched, he became more and more amazed as Decil wheeled away from every blast as if he knew it was coming. _Like Yurin. _Flit thought.

Suddenly, the Spallow grabbed the DODS rifle from the hardpoint on its back, spun around, and fired the rifle from underneath the Spallow's right arm. The blast struck something, and Flit saw for an instant a glowing mooneye and silhouette of some mechanical nightmare. Another volley of beam fire erupted from a space not far from the apparition, but the Spallow nimbly somersaulted through them all.

Woolf's G-Exes swooped up from below, motioning for the Gundam to return to the _Diva _which was passing below at full speed, the _Chalcedonies _beside and beneath it. A furry of beam blasts struck the starboard engine, causing it to vent smoke. Beam guns poured fire behind the fleeing warship, but then one of the anti-MS cannons was crushed by a powerful blow and then squeezed in-two. A flash followed, creating a seizure inducing explosion. In that instant, Flit saw a machine that vaguely resembled a crab turn about and dash out of view.

In a blur of white, the G-Exes flashed past, was grabbed by some invisible hand and its leg crushed. The white mobile suit activated its beam longsabers and slashed wildly, but the enemy was not there.

The _Diva _rushed closer as Decil sent the Spallow into a power-dive for the warship, Flit screaming as he watched a storm of orange beam blasts to come streaking down after them. Woolf fired his DODS rifle in the general direction of the beams, but that did little but make the attacks more erratic.

"This is fun!" Exclaimed Decil excitedly from the pilot's seat.

Flit twisted around, his utter disbelief at Decil's piloting prowess. "How are you doing that?!" Flit cried as the Spallow nimbly changed direction, throwing Flit around in his seat as the g-forces changed abruptly, he caught his lunch in his throat and forced it back down in time for the Spallow to whip around elegantly and draw its Shiguru blade, slashing in half one of the beam blasts, its sparks dashing against the blue armor of the Spallow.

"Way to go Flint," Woolf called as he sped by, dodging a blast of beam fire as best he could. "That's some smooth moves."

"We're approaching Titit, the asteroids are going to get thicker up ahead, so watch yourselves," Milias' voice cut in, sounding more frantic than Flit could remember.

Another salvo of blasts caused Decil to begin a dizzying corkscrew dive for the _Diva's _anti-MS guns, dodging through the combined fire of the invisible phantasms and the guns with graceful excellence.

An asteroid rushed past, knocking the Spallow off balance and causing one of the _Diva's _rose colored beams to blow off the front knee armor of the blue Gundam, while three more smaller rocks flashed past, narrowly missing the Gundam.

"Decil please get back to the _Diva!" _Begged Flit, still in amazement. "We're damaged and the asteroids are too much for anyone to handle!"

"Flint, get back to the _Diva _and stick close. At this speed it's going to be rough," Woolf called over the comm., dashing down beside the warship's guns.

"Now's the fun part," Decil said, leaning down with a silly grin at Flit.

"Don't you dare!" Flit found himself shouting, starting to unstrapped his harness and grab the crazy child.

"Let's go!" Decil yelled, opening the throttle to full.

Like a flash of blue lighting the Spallow rushed ahead, spinning, somersaulting, corkscrewing around the mass of asteroids as they came one after another.

A large rock rolled up ahead, smashing apart two smaller rocks, breaking them into dust. Flit screamed, knowing there was no time to pull out of the way. Nimbly, the Spallow grabbed its Shiguru blade, reared back, hit the thruster in its arm to send the green blade crashing down through the rock, cutting straight through. The Spallow emerged, whipping the sword behind its back expertly and drawing its DODS rifle to blow away another, larger asteroid directly ahead.

The Shiguru blade appeared again and Flit watched in sheer awe as Decil sliced the rocks aside with precision cuts. Swinging the Spallow's whole body into each movement, using its verniers to spin and move the Gundam's bulk away from every sliced piece, Decil wove his way forward.

A long, jagged rock flew down to meet them. Decil slammed into the asteroid below, then pushed off at full speed and cartwheeled across the surface of the rock, using the Shiguru blade to cleave the asteroid in half.

Now a gigantic grey asteroid lumbered up ahead. Without hesitating Decil drew and fired off a flurry of DODS salvos into the rock all at one spot, drilling a deep hole into its center. Then the Spallow boosted forward, faster than ever, the blade pointed straight in front of the mobile suit. The Gundam slammed into the hole, Decil drove the blade forward and used the thrusters in the elbows of the Gundam to stab the blade deep. With a tremendous crash, the rock split into five pieces, the Spallow racing out from amongst them, cutting away another small space rock that got in its way, diving away from two more that rushed past.

"Incredible," Flit said, staring at the cut mass of asteroids behind him.

"Time for the boss," Decil announced, his voice dripping with anticipation.

Flit stopped, feeling a familiar sensation. He saw a halo of green ocean and stared at the forward screen. A dark, black and tan object was cruising toward them.

"The Zedas!" Flit cried.

"Righto," Decil said, bringing up the Shiguru blade and going into a half crouch.

The Zedas continued until it was just feet away from the Gundam, then it transformed and lunged forward, slashing its black blade down upon the Spallow.

Decil nimbly parried the blade away and kneed the Zedas back, spinning into a dive amidst a flurry of shots from the Zedas' scattercannon.

The black UE suit roared down in MA mode, then transformed into its kick attack, but Decil changed direction and rushed back up at the UE, slashing through its entire leg and dashing up between its ignited sabers.

"That's how you counter showy moves that leave you _wide open_," Decil cackled accusingly at Flit, swinging the Spallow around behind an asteroid as the Zedas peppered beam machinegun fire at them.

"Watch this," Decil called.

The Zedas roared in around the asteroid. Decil flashed around the other side, then dove over the top and fired its DODS rifle. The Zedas spun away erratically and darted off to the right in a flash of golden light, then fired off a scattercannon shot accompanied by its machinegun.

The Spallow whipped through the firepower, advancing behind each asteroid it found.

Darting forward, the two machine's met in a shower of sparks as the blades clashed. The Zedas grabbed the blue Gundam and began to spin it around in a circle, Flit screamed and hung on for dear life as the Zedas brought in its knee and then kicked the Gundam forward, sending it crashing into the debris.

Flit looked up to see the Zedas lower its head and dart after them, blade close to its torso for a thrust. "We're out of control!" Flit yelled. "And it's coming!"

"Use it to your advantage," Decil chided with a grunt, spinning around. He slammed the Shiguru into the nearest rock, changed the thrusters' direction and swung the rock into the Zedas.

"We're not done," Decil laughed, firing off a quartet of shots that blasted apart the rubble and nearly impaled the Zedas, which barely dodged the attack and then raced in, blades ignited.

The Spallow stood stock still as the Zedas rushed in. Flit suddenly grew tense. "Decil block it!"

Decil's mouth twisted into a lopsided grin that Flit found strangely familiar.

The Zedas swung down its jagged sword, too late to for the Spallow to dodge. Suddenly the blade stopped, mere inches from the Spallow's head.

Flit glanced down to find the blue Gundam's knee blocking the Zedas' forearm from descending any further. With a quick slash, Decil cut the Zedas' arm and other leg from the machine in a flash of sparks and torn metal.

The Zedas, instead of flying away, dashed forward, stabbing ferociously at the Spallow, which darted away as Decil feverishly began blocking and parrying each blow. He lashed out with a kick that hit the Zedas in the inner arm, swinging it wide. The Spallow tackled the Zedas, sending it flying back, its rifle already firing off a spinning beam shot.

But the Zedas wheeled out of the way, transformed and dashed off into the debris field, where it soon vanished from view.

Feeling the adrenaline rushing through his body, Flit steadied his thumping heartbeat and stared into space, trying to calm himself. It had happened all so fast.

Suddenly his eyes refocused on the colony before them.

Outside, the sight of Colony Titit greeted him, pieces of its wall being torn off by bright sparks of light.

After a moment, he realized he distinguished hundreds upon hundreds of workers using cutters to cut square pieces from the colony's hide. What in the world was going on?

Beyond the colony, a UE battleship hovered malevolently.

* * *

**Colony Minsry Industrial bloc, private hanger**

"Mother, what is this?" Jaden Takeo asked, his mouth open as his eyes roved over the menacing shape barely visible in the dim glow of the storage hanger.

"There's a lot I need to explain about your father, about us." Sutura Takeo said, her voice cracked. "Please think of this as my way of explaining to you. Your father was from Mars, one of the people who are behind the threat of the UE."

Jaden sucked in a breath. "That's what Amy said those people kept telling her on the warship."

What did that make him?

"This is the remnants of the machine he used to escape," Sutura continued. "Don't look down on your father-please-he tried to warn the Federation, but he just played into their hands and ended up having his own tied. They took most of his mobile suit, but he saved some of the internal frame and has been working on this ever since he and Madorna met Alfred and Marina Asuno. He combined it with the data they found in the Arctic."

Jaden turned around for a moment in confusion, "the Arctic?" He asked, brow furrowed.

"Yes."

"So the Federation really didn't care about us. Now I know why they did so many searches at the Workshop all the time."

"When Alfred was murdered and the Federation threatened to deport Aren back to Mars, he hid this machine in this secret warehouse at Minsry, which is neutral territory. He would come here on frequent trips and work on it piece by piece should the day come that it would be needed."

"That's where he went all those times. I always thought he was living a double life," he laughed.

"In a way he was," Sutura replied sadly. "The mechanic, and the traitor fighting to stop the massacres. This was his masterpiece, though he hardly ever talked about it to me. I was lucky to even find this hanger."

"Don't take it if you don't want it," Sutura said, sounding honest, "As your mother, I don't want you fighting. But I believe Aren would want you to have this."

Silence reigned, how long Jaden couldn't tell.

"Tell me something," Jaden said, his face darkened, he glanced over his shoulder, "What went wrong between Dad and Fox?"

"Ah, that," Sutura hugged her arm close and shook her head, trying to fight back the tears, which she succeeded in doing after a pause. "Fox wanted to do his own thing, fight in the Prix's, work as a pilot for the Mobile Defense Works. Aren thought that behavior was selfish, so the two of them clashed constantly. They never really made up, which is why he comes to visit so rarely."

"I just needed to know why he wasn't the one you showed this to," Jaden said, turning back to stare into the cold face of the Gundam.

"I'll leave you alone for a few minutes," Sutura said after another interlude of silence.

"What was its name?" Jaden asked as his mother reached the door.

"I believe he called it Susanoo," Sutura replied, "because it was meant to rampage across the battlefield like a storm."

Jaden looked up into the eyes of the Gundam. "Rampage across the battlefield huh? Then that's what it's going to do."

* * *

**Colony Minsry**

Flit watched the stars come out. To his surprise, a winding ribbon of light appeared in the sky, changing from vibrant greens to even red and violet. Were these the auroras that appeared on Earth?

His mind flashed back to Titit. Somehow knowing the inhabitants were forced to labor at destroying their own home left him with a feeling worse than if they had all been slaughtered. It amazed him how the UE kept forming sicker ways to torment the people of the Earth.

Decil appeared in his mind after that. The child had done the impossible so many times Flit didn't even know what to think. Now the boy languished away in one of the _Diva's _cells until they decided what to do with him. Grodek and the others suspected he was a UE child-which was absurd. The UE. Were. Not. Human.

One of the lights shifted to fuchsia and crimson. He clinched Yurin's ribbon in his hand. As he stared at the shifting auroras, he felt as if Yurin, Bruzar, his Mother and all the others were staring down.

Since returning from that unintended adventure, Flit hid himself away in the depths of Minsry's wilderness. He didn't know how long he would stay here. No one had bothered to come and reason with him, perhaps Grodek had convinced them that he needed space to reflect.

He glanced at the lake just in front of him, his face covered in a scraggly teenage beard. It irritated him to no end and when he ran out of camping provisions he'd have to buy a razor.

Some might have called this a pleasant vacation, especially everyone else working feverously to prepare for the assault on Ambat. But it was not. He felt Bruzar and Marina's dying faces blazing before his eyes, accusing him.

If it had been Decil at the controls of the Gundam, or if Flit had been gifted with Decil and Yurin's powers, he could have saved everyone. He may have fulfilled his mother's dream of building the Gundam, but it left him with little more than a hollow feeling.

Nothing had changed. In fact, things had gotten worse.

He remembered telling himself he would start over again with what he managed to save. The UE had swept in and taken that from him too.

Killing his mother and home, destroying his childhood, murdering Bruzar and obliterating Nora, killing Yurin and cremating Fardain's people.

It had always been the UE.

Flit stared up at the burning ribbon in the sky. This time would be different. This time, he wouldn't stop until the last of them was dead.

He grinned. He felt the accusing faces vanish like smoke.

At last a solution.

* * *

**Space Fortress Ambat**

Yurin L'Ciel woke up with a start from the soft bunk, staring around her darkened cell intently, senses reaching out to pan the area. A green halo fixated on another powerful presence, the man in the long monk's robe and cowl, with the Gafran reminiscent mask.

Yark Dole Briar waved his hand, and the invisible membranous barrier parted and allowed him to pass through. "I came to speak with you," Yark Dole said, his voice its usual monotone, but she felt a cyclone of emotion swirling behind his stoic façade.

"I was wondering if you planned to leave Riria and me here forever," Yurin said, glancing at the sleeping girl on the other end of the cell.

"I hope you aren't uncomfortable here," Yark Dole said, glancing about the room's alien hexagonal tiled floor and dark purple furniture. Veins in the ceiling brightened and faded as crimson streaks flashed through, making strange shadows pass slowly over the floor.

"Best prison cell I've ever been in," Yurin said, shrugging her shoulders helplessly.

"This isn't the usual prison, my own quarters are not much different," Briar stated. "I have arranged better lodging for you both."

"Why are you being so kind to us?" Yurin asked.

"Riria is my niece, I can hardly abandon her," Yark Dole replied. "And as for you, you are an X-Rounder, or as we in the religious order of the Fire Temple call you, one blessed with the power of Vega's Light."

"I see," Yurin said, growing instantly uncomfortable. So she was a military resource. The feeling crawled up her skin and forced a shiver.

"I for one do not want you to be harmed," Yark Dole said in a gentle tone, reaching out a gloved hand almost consolingly, "But the base commander, Lord Geera Zoi has other plans."

"What is this Geera going to do?" Yurin asked.

"Always use the honorific," Yark Dole warned, "He is the supreme leader of our forces here at Earth, and thus is given a higher grade of respect. Now, besides that I am a priest and thus have liberties. I have been able to use them to offer up to you three choices."

He held up a finger, "One: you can become his slave and be used as a war tool."

"Let's skip that one," Yurin said, gritting her teeth and trying not to shrink down in fear.

"The second is to be sent where we take all the other people who renounced the Federation and are rescued during the Colony Busting operations: to Asgard."

"I'd prefer not," Yurin said, a chill running up her spine.

Yark Dole noticed her displeasure and sighed, "It's the only place people on Operation Cleansing's list can be safely reinstated into the Earth's populace without being weeded out. But you would be safe there."

He waited, and then continued to the third option, "Or you could come back with me to Mars, and see the world through _our _eyes."

Yurin looked up in surprise, her apprehension mixing with curiosity at the emotions running through Yark Dole's head. It seemed to her that he both dreaded and enjoyed the prospect of returning to his homeworld.

"Do you not like Mars?" Yurin asked.

"Who could like a desert burning by day and frozen by night? With radiation from a failed terraformer killing our populace with genetic mutation disease," spat Yark Dole. "Were it not for our Supreme Overlord, Ezelcant, we would be dead and gone; the victims of 'civilized' humanity's greatest extermination project."

"I…" Yurin started, but she couldn't find anything to say, there _was _nothing.

The sound of footsteps on the hard floor (Yurin couldn't quite tell if it was metal or not) echoed into the chamber, cutting off Yark Dole's reply.

Two guards flanked a tall, imperious man with blue hair with orange sideburns wearing a vaguely Arabic style clothing. He held a mask similar to Yark Dole's in his hand by his side.

Beside him walked a young boy similar in facial appearance, with hair as blue as his father's, what showed from his cap, which had a veil that hung down to the back of his neck. The boy spared Yurin and Riria a glance. He looked surprised to see someone her age, but quickly turned away as his father glanced down.

Yark Dole waited until the group had past, then returned his gaze to Yurin. "That was Lord Geera himself, and his son, Arabel."

"I need your answer now. It may be that Geera will send for you shortly at any moment."

"I think," Yurin closed her eyes. She thought of Flit, who doubtlessly believed her dead at Fardain. She knew Emily would take care of him, but even so. _I'm going to miss you, Flit._

"I want to understand what could motivate and twist people like you into what you are," Yurin said, not believing the steadiness of her words. She was just a normal girl with a crippling gift. But now she finally had found something worthwhile that could make a difference.

"I want to go with you to the Mars Sphere."

Yark Dole stepped back, genuinely shocked. "I had not expected this answer," he admitted.

"Very well then. I will return for you when your new apartments are ready. If Lord Geera's minions try to take you away before then, scream for me and I shall sense you."

"Before you go," Yurin said, touching his tormented mind, "What made a man like you commit such bad things as you have? I sense you didn't want to do them."

Yark glanced down at his left hand, then clinched it and looked up, a fury in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "What are you talking about? I'm perfectly justified in what I do. I am a Star's Harbinger, child. My purpose is not to destroy, that is Geera's ambition. No, mine is to save. To spread the word of the Federation's evil and to rescue those who would otherwise be exterminated like rats by it."

"Those who listen are spirited away to the Asgard cluster. The Asgard may be bad, but at least they can start over with a second chance. I am not evil."

"Even so, something is tormenting you," Yurin said, trying to sound sympathetic and not condescending.

Spinning around, Yark Dole unleashed a mental blast, the membrane parted and he stepped through, cloak swirling about him, fists clenched as he marched off.

_I am not evil. I exist to save people. It's that bloodthirsty Geera Zoi who relishes in the slaughter. And if I find some satisfaction in seeing those who spit at my warnings die, so what of it? After all we've suffered at Mars we deserve a little justice._

_What we are doing is right. They deserved to die. Both of them. _Yark Dole looked down and uncurled his shaking hand. _So why do I feel so terrible?_


	10. Chapter 10 Reunion at Minsry

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam**_

* * *

_**Chapter Ten Reunion at **__**Minsry**_

* * *

On the _Diva's _bridge, Grodek Ainoa, Adams Tinel, and Milias Alloy gazed at magnified images on the main monitor, showing thousands of workers using fusion torches and other equipment to cut squares out of Colony Titit's hide with marked precision.

"They kept the whole population alive as a slave labor force," Grodek said, rubbing his beard, "Unusual for them. The Special Forces would never allow for survivors. The UE are doing this independently of the Federation. We will continue monitoring them and follow the prisoners to wherever it is the UE detain them," Grodek said. "Hopefully the trail won't lead back to Ambat."

"That could complicate things," Milias said.

"More importantly, we need to know what became of Alzack Birmings," Grodek said dourly, changing the subject. "He was supposed to meet us at Titit but we found no sign. It is possible he was held back at the Federation Assembly on Earth, so we can only hope. I'll make a call later to confirm it."

"Enough of this," Grodek said briskly, floating up from his seat. "We cannot learn anything more from mulling over these images at this time," he pressed a button and snapped off the images. "Madorna has to begin renovations and needs us out of the ship."

Milias and Adams followed him out of the bridge. Grodek turned away toward the direction of his office.

"Where are you going?" Adams asked.

Grodek grabbed a lift-grip, "To find out what happened to Don Boyage."

* * *

**Colony Viceroy, ****undercity**

"This day just gets better and better," Boyage muttered, staring up at the buildings rising into the foggy darkness. Droplets of rain fell down occasionally, splattering against his heavy trench coat and wide-brimmed hat. His usually upturned mustache drooped pitifully, making him resemble a small walrus.

"If only the weather were more cheery, I would say you were right," Right minion stated.

"I say the Don is wrong," Left admitted, wrapping his hands around his arms.

"Silence you two," Boyage muttered. "We should thank the Diamlers for their hospitality," he gestured with a hand at the crumbling buildings around them.

"Imagine them making us pay docking fees on a hanger that's supposed to be _ours_." Left grumbled.

"Not to mention tacking on fifteen years of interest," Right added.

"We may never get the _Rafflesia _out of this colony," moaned both at once.

"I thought I told you two to shut up!" Boyage snapped, suddenly whipping out a pistol. "Someone's coming."

The two minions immediately went silent and drew their own firearms.

As a contingent of armed officers rounded the corner, all holding assault rifles, Boyage cursed under his breath. "Well Grodek, looks like I'm going to be very late."

* * *

**September 10th, AG 115-Colony ****Minsry****, **_**Diva**_

"Thank you for searching," Grodek said, looking up at Fox, "I appreciate your concern."

Fox Takeo nodded. "Sirius was always a good friend. I only wish I could have saved him."

"Don't blame yourself," Grodek replied. "And it's probably for the best that we didn't find his remains. I can remember him as his old, cocky self."

"More importantly, I believe I know why the phantom armors attacked," Fox said, scratching at his spiky black hair.

"Oh?" Grodek folded his hands on the table, "Please elucidate."

Fox's face grew conspiratorial, "there was this…thing we took on ship, an obelisk."

"I wasn't aware that ancient Egyptians placed temple decorations this far out," Grodek said with a half amused smile."

"What?"

"Obelisks were originally used to decorated temples in Heliopolis-well, it doesn't matter. What did it look like?"

"There are stories out there. They're all ancient computer terminals, guarded with pass codes and covered in glowing traces. According to the rumors something bad happens to any ship that picks them up."

"I think we can update that rumor to fact," Grodek supposed grimly. "But if you suspected it, why did you pick a risky thing up like that."

"We originally were hired to bring it to a Zalam base. Sirius said something about how the Zalam wanted to begin collecting them, because some bigwig in EUBA was."

"I see," Grodek smiled almost imperceptibly. "Well, it appears things are starting to come together," Grodek stood up.

"I'm here to help any way you want," Fox said. "I'm going to knock sense into those people."

Grodek scowled. "You are aware of who they really are?"

Fox's lips dropped into a somber frown and his eyes went dark. "You could say that."

"I understand. Please keep that knowledge to yourself for now. It is better we don't have any unneeded distractions."

Fox nodded and briskly left the room. _Not talk about the truth __eh__? That's the only thing that will resolve this. Do both sides want to let this spiral out of control? _

He thought about his father and that machine he'd made for the purpose of laying waste to his own people. Of all the luck its hidden assembly hanger was here at Minsry.

The first thing he intended to do was dismantle that evil thing, before someone put it to use.

* * *

Emily Amonde stared out the viewport, the green vista of Minsry's interior stretched out before her. Somewhere out there was Flit, wallowing in his misery. He returned now and then to assist in the _Diva's _upgrades, but there was little for him to do, as Madorna seemed to be fairly competent in handling the task.

"It's not good to stand there twiddling your thumbs," Lalaparly Madorna said, the beautiful purple haired woman came to stand next to Emily, resting her shoulders against the sill. "Thinking?"

"Flit is still down there, even though he knows he should be here. After all he's gone through he needs help. But he refuses to let anyone comfort or talk sense into him."

"I hate to break it to you, but that describes half the men I've known. They sulk."

"I know I should just leave him alone, but doesn't he see that I'm hurting too? Nora was my home as well. And I knew most of the people he lost," she turned back to the viewport, feeling sick. "And he doesn't care about what I'm going through. That's what hurts. Even so," she put hand against the glass, "I can't stop worrying about him."

"Your selflessness shows how much you love him," Lalaparly said, leaning closer. "If you keep reaching out to Flit, your feelings will reach him eventually."

"I know," Emily said as she forced a smile.

"Well, back to work for me," Lalaparly said, turning away. "Just keep supporting him, and he will eventually notice that pretty young woman sticking beside him."

Emily turned to the window again. _Maybe, but it might be too late to save him by then._

* * *

"Fox," Sutura Takeo called, hurrying over to her son as he stepped into the Workshop's bustling hanger.

"It's good to see you," He said, wrapping her in a stiff embrace. He stared at her face. There were bags and dark circles under her eyes, but otherwise she seemed as beautiful as ever. "I'm glad to see you," he said. "Where's Amy?"

Sutura gestured over her shoulder, where Lhuga Kat leaned against a mobile suit frame, chatting away with Amy Takeo.

"What's she doing?" Fox asked, groaning.

"Babbling about what upgrades she wants," laughed Sutura with a forced smile, "While we construct her G-Exes."

Sniffing, Fox shook his head. "I should have figured her custom machine would fit into this. I've got some things to set in order," he stepped around Sutura and started off.

"Wait, your Genoace F is this way, in its usual spot," she called, her voice growing slightly sharp at the end. "Don't you want to inspect the repairs? Where are you going?"

"It's here isn't it?" He asked, turning around. "That Gundam?" He spat the word.

"Fox!" Sutura started after him with long strides, "Don't do anything rash."

"Don't worry; I've thought this through _very carefully_."

Without another word he stormed off, ignoring his mother's shouts.

* * *

Jaden was just finishing rewiring the power cables hidden safely within the protective shell of the Susanoo's knee joint when he heard footsteps stop abruptly beside him.

He knew what was coming even before he turned around, and steeled himself. "Hey, Fox," he said, sighing as he looked over his shoulder to meet his brother's furious expression.

Nostrils flared, the older man stalked over, one of his hands whipping out to grab Jaden's shoulder and yank him away from the kneeling Gundam. "Long-time-no-see, Jay. Got into the tools when Dad wasn't looking again?"

"No, he entrusted it to me because he felt you didn't have the responsibility," Jaden responded, already knowing _that _was a mistake.

"I'm so proud of you," Fox said, his fist slamming into Jaden's stomach.

"It's good to have you back," wheezed Jaden, scrambling to stand. "You thick-skulled idiot."

Fox helped his brother stand by grabbing the back of his shirt collar and yanking him up, "Just look at what you're doing! You know the truth about these people, right? Mom and Amy told you didn't they? Do you even have an idea what it means to go on a killing spree?"

"Sure, I've thought about it ever since they KILLED OUR FATHER!"

"You are teenager," Fox snapped, "This isn't the age to be caught up in war fever."

"Maybe that's my decision," Jaden pointed a finger at himself. "And what's wrong with getting revenge? Those 'people' are psychopathic savages," he snapped.

"Have you ever wondered what those people have endured?" Fox asked, trying to calm himself. "Do you honestly think they don't want the same-

-I don't care about what they've suffered," his face twisted in a snarl. "Mom told me the truth about Dad's scars. That Martian government of theirs enslaves its own people. At least our world is fairer."

"Oh yes our genocidal Federation," Fox agreed sarcastically, nodding with enthusiasm.

"Shut up," Jaden growled, "are you this stupid? You lazy ass idiot do you not care about what they did to Dad at all?!"

"I admit they are a cruel people, but that goes for half the civilizations since the first one," Fox retorted. "Mother never heard him talking about the people he left behind. Some of them fighting on the UE's side suffered the same things he did. He still loved the people of Mars, he didn't want to kill them with this"-he threw up his hands at the Susanoo-"_thing_."

"So? He still built the Susanoo. And all I want is to get rid of the UE. What's the problem there?" Jaden's eyes burned from his shadowed face.

"And you really think it will stop there? After Ambat what will you do?" Fox snapped.

"That does not concern either of us," Jaden said, feeling his blood boiling.

"It will keep going. There's a reason why Dad didn't give this Gundam to me. It's dangerous. Just so you know, he only worked on the Susanoo when he was mad."

"You keep running your mouth! What about us? Amy? They _killed_ him and you don't _care!" _Screamed Jaden. "You don't even care about us do you? We're just your MS upgrade service aren't we!?"

"You have no idea how I feel!" Fox roared covering the distance between the two of them in an instant. "It's this machine; it's already starting to _twist _you. Have you been inside the cockpit yet?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Yelled Jaden swinging around to grab his arm and jerk Fox back.

"You don't even know what it's capable of doing to the pilot!" Fox snarled, jabbing a finger at the black mobile suit. "It's a monster that Dad _knew _he shouldn't build, but he did it anyway and regretted it every time he worked on it. Mom knew none of this…"

Jaden felt like tearing his brother in half as hot tears began falling down his cheeks. "Never say anything bad about him again! Out!" He flung his hand toward the door. "OUT!"

"You've already been inside," Fox said, feeling a twinge of dread. "Damn it Dad, why did you have be so stupid," he muttered, whirling around to reach for a fusion cutter. _I have to dismantle this thing before it's too late. _

Jaden heard his brother's muttered curse. "Don't you _EVER insult him again_!" Jaden covered the distance in one stride and dealt Fox an uppercut to the jaw.

A second fist slammed into his brother's torso, the crunch of breaking ribs snapped across the dark hanger. The fusion cutter dropped from Fox's hand.

"And I'll break more if you even look at the Susanoo! This is all I have left of Dad!"

With a pained grunt, Fox picked himself up; Jaden had grown too much for him to handle by himself. Jaden was younger too, and with a broken rib he wouldn't be getting close to the Gundam.

"Alright," Fox said, straining to breathe, "you win." He started for the exit. "But remember that this was Father's one and only mistake."

"You don't want to me to see your face again!" Roared Jaden. "Mistakes or not _he was my Father and I loved him_!" Hot tears started rolling down Jaden's cheeks. His face flushed crimson at this. "I hate you! Get out of this station and never come back." He bellowed as Fox stepped out into the giant corridor.

"If you do I'll kill you," Jaden whimpered to himself, too low for Fox to hear. Stepping further into the darkened storage hanger, he shrank in the shadow of his father's masterpiece and cried.

* * *

"That reunion went well," Fox said with a pained laugh. _I was too late. Dad, why did you not tell Mom the truth about that thing. Were you too ashamed?_

But it was too late to ask Aren Takeo. He knew only that he failed. His brother was in that Gundam's clutches. Fox touched a place on his forefinger where the skin was cold and hard.

He knew from experience what that meant.

S.

**Fortress ****Ambat**

"What?" Yurin L'Ciel rose groggily from her bed and looked over to see Lord Geera's son knocking on the membrane.

"I can hear you fine from here," Yurin said, sitting up and rubbing grit out of her eye. "Did you need something?"

The boy stared at her uncertainly, then glanced over at Riria, who was also rousing herself from slumber. The little girl looked over at Arabel Zoi and smiled, waving.

"I was wondering if you'd both like to play a game," Arabel started. "It's lonely since my friend Decil left. He hasn't come back…"

"Decil?" Yurin tensed at the name. A memory surfaced amidst the rippling green halo.

Decil turned to her, smiled. The wind grabbed at his clothes as he reached out a hand and waved even as Nora shuddered in its death throes. Then she saw the Zedas, a child's cackle filling her mind.

"The Zedas pilot," Yurin said, stepping over.

"Who?" Riria asked, knocking against the membrane. "Hey, what game do you want to play Arabel?"

"Yes, he was," Arabel said. "He'd go away on missions every now again, but he's never _not _come back. It gets cold and lonely in this fortress."

"You have your father," Yurin started, but she flinched at the reply before it came.

"He's not usually good to play with," Arabel's brows always seemed in a crease, but they furrowed even more now. "Sometimes he has this look in his eyes."

"Let's play! I want outta this cell!"

"I think I can affect that now," Yark Dole Briar said, striding up from around the corner. "Your rooms are ready at last," he said, stopping beside Arabel.

"Young one, does your tutor know you are skipping your studies?"

"Oh, uhm, maybe?" Arabel looked over at Riria and the two giggled as Arabel dashed off.

"Sorry for that."

"It's no trouble," Yurin said as Yark Dole opened the cell and let the two girls outside.

"I am so sorry it took so long. There were complications," Yark Dole said, his voice sounding surprisingly strained.

Yurin searched for it, but found Yark Dole blocking her with his own senses. "Sorry, I don't mean to pry," Yurin said in a low voice.

"Is it the missing pilot?" Riria asked, skipping along. "Decil?"

Yark Dole snapped around. "How did you know about that, Riria?"

"Just wonder'in," Riria said. Her voice grew uncertain, "Uncle Yark, when _will_ Papa be coming back? You said he would."

"Yes, when will he?" Yurin asked Yark Dole, staring him down in accusation.

Yark Dole sucked in a breath under Yurin's accusing glare. "Soon. Soon, Riria," he reached down and patted her reassuringly on the head.

"Very soon."

Yurin brushed past Yark Dole, the halo flashing in their minds. _Glad to hear it, _she thought to him.

S.

**Madorna's**** Workshop**

"I refuse," stated Jaden Takeo, whirling around.

"He has a _broken rib_," insisted Amy. "If you won't say you're sorry, then at least go in and see him. Do it for me."

Without another word, Jaden stalked off down the hallway.

"You know, you kinda asked for it," Amy said after returning to the room, where Fox lay on a bed. "If you wanted to convince him to let the Susanoo alone, punching him wasn't the answer."

"I figured that out," Fox laughed painfully. "I was mad and not thinking, I'll apologize later."

"Well at least you will," Amy exhaling in complete exasperation. "I really don't blame Jaden for being angry with you. I mean, you didn't even speak to me in the hanger. It's been a solid year and a half since you last visited us, yet you ignore me even though I was _kidnapped._"

"Sorry," Fox said with a heavy sigh of his own, "Hangers with an audience really are not the best backgrounds for tearful reunions. Darkened hospital rooms are perfect though."

"Well we're alone now," Amy said, sinking into a seat.

"Yes. So, anything you want to talk about? Being kidnapped by the UE must have been harsh, especially after what happened. If you need someone to help hold you up, I can help with that."

"You have a broken rib. It's you who needs a shoulder to lean on," Amy countered.

"Well, in that case, maybe you can help me know what to think about the UE."

Amy's face blanched slightly. "Uh, could you answer that question for me?"

"I'm not qualified. But you have actually been aboard one of their ships, so you are more an expert than anyone here at Minsry."

Taking in a deep breath, she straightened up in the seat, "Okay. What do you want to know?"

"What their tech is like, how they feel toward us, how they treated you, if they are even human at all and if not should I be looking for a pair of green antenna on myself."

"That's a lot," Amy said.

"The antenna's a start."

"Smart-aleck," she said. "They _are_ people. So no Antenna."

Fox stopped fiddling with his hair, "Well that's a disappointment. How about the rest? They didn't hurt you did they?"

Amy frowned. "I don't remember how I was captured. I know there was a flash, and after that I was aboard the UE ship. There's something vague about being on the bridge, but nothing substantial."

"What was the ship like inside?" Fox asked, trying not to sound like an enthusiastic engineer.

"It was different," she said. "Foreign looking, but still human. So no slime pits, no little green men with antenna, and no pain-inducing racks with tentacles."

"So they didn't attempt to hurt you," Fox said, wanting to be totally sure.

"I was put in a simple holding cell. Then they took me to a shuttle and returned me after Madorna and Mom finished the manufacturing arrangements with them."

"It sounds like you don't hate them," Fox noted. "After all they've done, I thought you would be more like Jaden."

Amy looked down. "I want to. But somehow, I…don't hate them," she started fiddling with the collar of her shirt, her fingers searching for her necklace, but Fox saw that it wasn't there. "That 'priest' who captured me, he kept saying to me that Dad was the traitor and deserved…the point is, I can't help but understand that from their point of view, he was a man who sold out his people. That will _never _keep me from wanting them punished, believe me. They treated me like I was a bystander caught up in the whole mess. One of the-the point is I don't believe all of them are in it just for revenge. The priest talked all strange and stoic, but I got the feeling he didn't want to kill Father."

"How do you know it was him?" Fox asked, also remembering that Amy had meant to say something else, before starting over.

"He told me," she said. "But even if he meant to intimidate me, his eyes were saying something else."

"What happened to Dad's necklace?"

"They took it," she replied, looking away.

"I see." Fox remembered how she cut her herself off and realized that she was holding something back from him.

"You still seem awfully calm," he had to say, "Are you sure they didn't do something else to you?"

"Uh," Amy huffed, "I'm starting to get why Jaden snapped. You come home for the first time in ages and the first thing you do is start interrogating your kidnapped sister about her abduction."

"I didn't mean it like that," Fox said. Whatever she was keeping hidden she wasn't ready to talk about it. "I'm apologizing left and right, so I might as well say it. I'm sorry. We got off on the wrong foot. Can we start over?" He asked hopefully.

Amy nodded, "Sounds good."

"I'm glad you're safe, Amy," Fox said, holding out his hand.

"Thank you," she bent down and hugged him, careful of his broken rib, "welcome home, Fox."


	11. Chapter 11 Traitor

_**Chapter Eleven Traitor**_

* * *

**February 17****th****, AG 116- The Moon, Earth Federation Special Forces Headquarters, Maximus**

Stepping onto the bridge of his _Darwin_, the _Zero,_ Stoller Guavaran of the Investigation Bureau idled into his captain's chair. He whipped out a chocolate bar and gingerly opened the wrapper, sighing in contentment as he took a nice bite of the sweet, sinful medley of chocolate and caramel.

His deputy captain, Heath, stalked over to him, the distinct sound of his mag-clamp shoes tapping away at the deck. "Captain Stoller, you remember what the doctor said about your health."

"Humbug and Broccoli, Heath. I need chocolate after dealing with the likes of the Yellow Shirts."

"Now Sir, the crew needs you to be a model example. They are the Special Forces, not the Yellow Shirts. You should show proper respect for your fellow officers."

"Ah go eat a carrot," snapped Stoller, munching away on another symphonious salivating bite.

Stoller glanced out the viewport of his ship at the hanger observation gallery. He scowled at a young man smartly dressed in a yellow Special Forces uniform, with blonde hair and a beautiful face better suited for a woman. That gorgeous face was turned up in a sensually gruesomely smug smile that made Stoller sick. Stoller planned to one day improve the boy's looks with a good left hook to his prissy nose.

"Something wrong Sir?" Heath asked, following Stoller's glower.

Stoller indicated the blonde prettyboy as the _Zero _drifted past. "Nah, just Transsexual Nazi seeing us off in the gallery. Aint'e sweet? After all I said to him in the briefing room."

Ignoring the snickers of the bridge crew, Heath regarded Stoller with complete disbelief. "Transexual Nazi?" The deputy captain sighed heavily, rubbing his temples, "You mean Ensign Adalbrecht. Please show respect."

"No way in a dietary bar am I going to bow down to some child half my age. Just because he's a Yellow Shirt he outranks me."

"All members of the Special Forces outrank you. They can't be investigated by the Bureau without a warrant." Heath droned.

Stoller took another delicious, wonderful bite of chocolate. "That's what I hate about the Yellows. I hate anyone I can't investigate; it leaves too many holes in my knowledge. You never know what they might be planning-or hiding!"

"I'm sure the closet in the Special Forces of the Earth Federation is relatively empty," Heath countered.

More snickers floated past the two. "Ah," Stoller cocked an ear and smiled, "music to my ears."

Suddenly the screen above the bridge windows snapped to life, bearing the youthful face of Special Forces Ensign Adalbrecht Diamler.

"I hope you realize Colonel Teers will move immediately if you do not succeed in bringing the traitor in," the boy's face smiled wickedly. "Won't that be fun? You know what he wants to do."

"Blasting Minsry off the face of the Earth won't be necessary oh Transgendered One," Stoller assured the man on the other screen.

Face beet red with rage, Adalbrecht snarled. "I hope Grodek throws you into cold space like he did Fonroid." The screen went dark.

Stoller pulled out another chocolate bar and munched it with a smirk. "Wouldn't want that now would we?"

The ship departed the hanger of the massive Federation moon base, lifting off toward the expanse beyond. "Helm, full speed to Colony Minsry. Let's see if we can't get there and back before Colonel Teers even gets into his uniform." He munched on the chocolate bar for emphasis.

* * *

**February 27****th****, AG116-Colony Minsry, Madorna's Workshop**

"What have I done?" Sutura Takeo clenched a metal pipe on the gantry next to Lhuga's completed Exes unit, Fox Takeo standing next to her. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "How could I do this?!" She wailed, grabbing her head in her hands. "Aren why didn't you warn me?"

Fox sighed, there was no use consoling her. Sutura had been through enough to break most women and yet had still kept going to oversee the Workshop's unending line of costumers. She needed a break to cry, though Fox wished he wasn't the trigger.

"We can still do something for him," Fox insisted. "I can dismantle the Susanoo. Do that and Jaden should be free-relatively speaking."

"Relatively?" She asked, wiping tears away, shaking her head. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It may be there are too many Nano-zsells in his system. Without knowing how much time he has spent inside the Susanoo, I can't tell you what the danger might be for him." Fox held up his finger. "He's in a situation similar to psychosis. He's not able to reason properly. But if we can get him to give the Susanoo up of his free will, the Nano-zsells won't deal retribution."

"You've lost me," Sutura interrupted. "What is that thing going to do to him?"

"The zsells will go haywire if the system inside the Susanoo shuts down. If Jaden does it himself, the Gundam won't be able to resist, because it is subordinate to the pilot. I think. Either way, if the Susanoo senses that we are responsible, it will use the Nano-zsells it pumped into his body and…I don't know what it could do to him."

"This isn't helping me right now," Sutura snapped, the tears coming back. "Go reason with him, but this time no punches or broken bones, or I'll dismantle your Genoace F."

"I'll play nice." Fox said quickly. He turned away and hopped onto the catwalk.

"I just hope Jaden will," he muttered under his breath.

* * *

**Colony Minsry Spaceport**

"Flit," Emily Amonde called as the boy stepped toward the elevator.

Flit Asuno turned around and sighed, returning for supplies was always a hassle.

"Just where do you think you're going to?" Emily snapped.

"To the colony," Flit said, "Isn't that kinda obvious?" He shouldered the pack of provisions. He'd grown stronger in his days roving about Minsry's wild landscape, returning only rarely to make minor adjustments to the AGE-1. Madorna didn't apparently need his help constructing the _Diva's _Photon Blaster Cannon it was installing, so he found himself filled with spare time.

"This is ridiculous. You have to stop isolating yourself in that wilderness," Emily snapped, stomping over to him. She stopped when she realized she was looking _up _as she pointed with her accusing finger.

Flit looked down at her smugly. "Go play with Haro." He turned around and started into the open elevator.

"Just because you went through a growth spurt and you're voice cracked does not mean you can treat me like a child!" She yelled in rage. Haro rolled to her feet, ears flapping cutely. Smiling, Emily drew back her foot and then kicked with all her might, nailing Flit in the back of the head with the green sphere.

"OW!" Flit screamed, dropping the pack and holding his head in pain. He whirled around. "What was that for?"

"You said play with Haro." She shrugged.

"Fine, you can come down to the colony with me," Flit groaned.

"And you have to come back with me to work on the AGE System. It's been acting up."

"That's because Dique fiddled with the controls," Flit snapped. "Isn't that why we banished him?"

"He was banished from the ship?" Emily asked, incredulous. "I thought Vargas said he left with the other Norans to live on the habitation modules."

"Well you'd be wrong. Vargas got so mad at him that he ran him down to the colony. He's been here ever since," Flit finished as they stepped out into the clear world of Minsry. Emily took in a deep breath of the fresh air. Hundreds of scents assailed her nostrils, water, trees, flowers. It took her breath away after being stifled inside the metal confines of the _Diva _for weeks on end.

"You should really come here more. It's good to take a break now and then," Flit suggested.

"True, but the work piles up."

Flit hurried her on. "You will not believe what Dique has built. It's a log cabin. I never knew he could be so motivated."

Emily raised her eyebrows. "Maybe I should have come down here more after all. Someone needed to keep an eye on you two."

* * *

Jaden Takeo put down his welder and stared over sullenly as his brother approached. The boy stepped away from the looming form of the Susanoo and strode over; brandishing the torch just to make certain Fox didn't try to throw any punches his way.

"What do you want?" Jaden asked.

"I came to apologize for hitting you," Fox said.

"What?" Jaden shook his head. "You expect me to believe that? You never apologize."

"Well I am this time."

"Spill it. What do you want," Jaden demanded.

"Look, I was angry and not thinking. But it's been a few months and I think it's time we put that past us. Let the Susanoo go. It's dangerous."

"Now that the first rib has healed I guess you want another one," Jaden said with a nasty smirk.

Fox's eyes darted over to the seemingly dormant Susanoo. _That's you talking isn't it?_

"Jaden please listen to me-

-You've been at this ever since you got back. I'm sick of it."

"But you don't understand what's happening to you."

"You babbled about that the second time you came, and I say it's shit."

"Listen, Dad put the same system into the Susanoo that was installed in his prototype Zedas. It's influencing your mind with a very complicated biomechanical technology. It provokes you to violent behavior."

"_You're _provoking me to violent behavior," Jaden countered, starting to circle around in front of the Gundam.

"Please, we're leaving for Ambat soon and I don't want you getting hurt. A situation like that is going give that thing more control over you," pleaded Fox.

"That's it," Jaden started forward, the torch ignited. "The rib must not have been enough."

As Fox quickly exited the hanger, he turned back at the door to find the Susanoo's face inexplicably facing him. It had not been so when he entered. Fox stared into its dull, unlit eyes for a moment, and finally turned to leave. Jaden would have to be incarcerated. The Susanoo had made its point. Jaden Takeo's rage over his father's death had pushed him right into its clutches. And it wasn't going to let go without a fight.

"Well neither am I."

* * *

"What do you think?" Flit gestured at Dique's log cabin. It looked rough and its stability might have been in question, but it was still impressive, considering its size.

"Wha-what happened?" She stared at Dique, still not believing it. And she had thought Flit had gone through a growth spurt. Dique was now as tall as her, with a slim, muscular body. "What have you been doing?"

Dique glanced over at his cabin proudly. "Felling and lugging trees over here to build my house. I thought it was better than going to live with my parents in some refugee shelter. Besides, I kinda like hard work. Imagine that."

"He has also been reading Vargas' old design notes and blueprints for the Gundam," added Flit.

"I'm starting to make sense of them too," touted Dique. "Just you wait, I'm going to go back and prove to your grandfather that I'm not a liability. One day when he retires, I'll replace him."

"Okay," Emily said, trying to fight off a blush. "And you hauled trees up here all this time why?"

Dique frowned and pointed at the cabin, giving her a look. "The cabin," he reminded her.

"Right, the cabin."

"I'll be uphill," Flit said after an awkward silence. "You can both stand there," he glanced at them with a quirked eyebrow, "and look at each other."

"What?" Emily seemed to snap out of her daze, while Dique glanced around uncomfortably.

"Right," Flit said, turning away. "Have fun."

"Hold it," snapped Emily, charging after a retreating Flit. "Just what are you insinuating?"

Dique watched the pair go and glanced over at Haro, who was sitting on a tree stump placidly.

"Speechless huh?" Dique said to the green sphere. "Oh, that's right, you're memory was wiped."

"Log cabin! Log Cabin!" Haro declared happily. "Good builder. Good builder."

"I think I'm gonna like you," Dique said.

He heard a twig snap and turned around. The barrel of an assault rifle stared him down.

* * *

The current lazily tugged the little white boat, massive grey cliff faces jutting up on either side like foreboding guardians. Grodek Ainoa and Milias Alloy sat across from Alzack Birmings, who had luckily been detained in the Earth Federation's capital of Brucia during the UE attack on Colony Titit.

"To be honest, Captain Ainoa, I am pleased to hear you say that things are coming together," Alzack stated, tapping his cane on the deck.

"I apologize for being a political liability," Grodek replied. "The forces of Zalam and EUBA are finally assembled. We will be leaving within the next two days."

"I am truly relieved to hear that from you at last," Birmings wiped his brow with an embroidered handkerchief. "It should be no new news to your people that there are sightings of a Special Forces taskforce clearing through the debris field."

"Oh? I thought you said that we had nothing to fear here." Grodek said quickly. "Are the citizens of Minsry not safe? Remember our own Norans are here, their safety comes before all other priorities."

"I greased the hand of Prime Minister Fonder," Birmings said helplessly. "I should have known that there is no place safe from the Yellow Shirts, not if what you said about them is true. After all, rumor has it that your people captured a child spy sent by the Special Forces."

"We did, but that still does not prove they will go so far as to annihilate Minsry," Grodek replied.

Milias glanced over at Grodek. So that was how he had prevented the truth about the UE's humanity from spreading beyond the bridge crew. _And even then he still does not want to admit the truth, _Milias thought warily.

A rather disturbing thought crossed over Alzack's face. "They might send the UE, don't you think Captain?"

"That is a possibility," Grodek admitted.

The boat exited the fjord and halted by a dock. Ract and Boyage, each flanked by a bodyguard, stepped aboard the deck. "Punctual as usual," Grodek said half jokingly to Boyage.

Boyage grumbled as he sat down beside Milias, his lackey frowning as he realized he would have to stand. "For the last time let it go," he complained. "I had no idea that those Techno Solon freaks would actually try to _impound my _personal battleship."

"Isn't that because your own Zalam people in the Forge Zone have been bought-off by the Diamlers?" Ract scoffed.

"Hey! It was _your _people we've been waiting the better part of two months on," Boyage countered with a sneer and pointing finger. "What is the hold-up there? At least I'm honest."

"My people are more loosely connected than yours," Ract sniffed. "We aren't an empire like Zalam."

"Speaking of Zalam," Grodek interrupted before a full-scale war exploded between the two right in the boat, "Did you ever hear from your people in the Asgard?"

"They aren't coming," Boyage growled, frustrated. "I knew they wouldn't. It's a shame; they have two _Rafflesia _class ships in their fleet."

"Huh," Ract suppressed a laugh.

"And when was the last time _EUBA _had a capital class ship of the line?" Boyage snickered.

"Before the two of you initiate hostilities, please be aware that we might potentially fall under Federation _and _UE attack within the next few days," Birmings said quickly, sweat running down his brow. "Please. Show a little respect for the wellbeing of Minsry."

"I apologize," Ract said quickly.

Milias looked over at Boyage with raised eyebrows.

"What?" The Zalam leader snapped. "I'm not apologizing."

"And on that note," Grodek said, "let us make the final preparations for our assault. It will not be long and the UE's stronghold of Ambat will be ours. If all goes well, it will end the threat of the UE on Earth for good."

_And then, _Grodek reminded himself, _The Federation. _He felt a hint of guilt at deceiving everyone, but what could he do? Let the Special Forces take over where the UE would soon leave off? He willed the feeling away and steeled himself for the future.

_To the end._

* * *

_Eyes darting everywhere, Amy Takeo frantically tried to break free of her cell, but it was no good. Her hands were shackled to her back by some unseen force. She didn't feel handcuffs, only a slight tingling numbness from her wrists down. _

_The cell was square and just long enough for her to lie down on a slab nearby. Oddly, the slab was heated and surprisingly comfortable, formed out of something that felt to her like foamy plastic._

_Head still throbbing, her mind aching as it tried to piece together what happened to her, Amy leaned against the cell wall, a black, cold metal. The door was completely clear, but totally unbreakable. There was no way out._

_After several hours of groaning, the headache disappeared completely and she began to remember a masked man on a strange looking bridge, overlooking Madorna's Workshop. As that memory surfaced, her throat and mouth began to dry out quickly._

"_I need water," she called, not sure if there was even someone listening. "Can anybody hear me? I don't know where I am. Can anyone hear me? I _need _water." Her voice began to crack from the dryness and it became painful to yell._

_The barrier by the exit seemed to waver and flow into the cracks in the wall, allowing a young man of perhaps twenty to step inside, bearing a dull blue cup filled with clear liquid. He had a friendly face, with the deepest, brightest pair of blue eyes she had ever seen. His dress was comprised of a grey-brown robe over a form-fitting black suit. He carried a somewhat strange looking gun on a holster hanging on his hip. _

_A prison guard, she decided. Though what prison she was in remained to be asked._

_The guard leaned down and put the cup to her lips, he said something in a language she couldn't understand. The guard cleared his throat and spoke again, "this is water."_

_Deciding that it could just as easily be poison for all she cared at this point, Amy gratefully drank the clear liquid. She never imagined water could taste so good as it washed away the cracked desert in her throat. _

"_Where am I?" She asked, her voice restored. _

"_Onboard the _Sahaden,_" the guard replied. You were captured by Priest Briar. Don't worry, you will be released soon."_

_The memory of stepping around a corner to find her father's ashes rushed back into her mind, clear as if it was happening all over again. The stinging pain lanced through her heart, and now she really did wish the water had been poison. _

_Slightly bewildered, the young guard watched as Amy began to sob. He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. "Are the restraints hurting you? Are…you hungry?" He asked helpfully. The girl continued sobbing, her shoulders heaving. "I guess not," he decided, reaching over to undo the restraints, which were supposed to numb the girl's arms, though he suspected they could be amplified to cause pain._

_When he finished, he glanced over to see if the prisoner had stopped crying, only to leap back in surprise as she suddenly flung herself forward, smashing her fists into the floor repeatedly. Her head slammed against the floor, blood trickling down her forehead as she brought it up._

_His orders were to make sure that she returned to the Workshop without having suffered any form of molestation or injury, so the guard rushed forward to restrain her arms again. She flailed away, kicking him in the hip and then again in the side with enough force to almost crack bone. He leapt back, clutching his bruised side as he watched the girl hurling herself madly against the floor._

"_I'm going to get the brig for this," he groaned, leaping forward to grab her arms and jerk her up. Desperately holding her as she thrashed, he finally slipped the numbcuffs on her wrists. To his mild astonishment, she continued to writhe. _

"_Please stop this," he tried to yell into her ear, but she refused to listen or didn't hear him. "This is your own fault," he sighed, tapping a button on a device hidden in his pant pocket. The girl let out a scream and fell to the floor, her body numbed by a powerful jolt from the restraints. _

"_Eli, what are you doing in there?" Snapped the warden, poking his head inside. "You better not be doing what I think you're doing."_

"_Just giving the prisoner some water," Eli straightened. "She was crying so I thought the cuffs were causing pain, so I undid them. She started thrashing and I had to put them back on to stop her from giving herself a concussion."_

"_Idiot," the warden snapped, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him outside. "I told you not to go in there. I'd thrash too after seeing my dad burned to dust by 'His Holiness'._

"_Oh," Eli turned to look back at the girl lying motionless on the floor. It was a pitiful sight._

"_Stay out here and don't go in again until meal time, Understood?"_

_Eli put his fist to his chest in salute, "Yes Warden."_

_After the grizzled old man departed, Eli went back into the cell and placed Amy onto the bed and went out. He looked back, watching her sleeping form as the foam bed slowly conformed to her body. She was a strong girl, with smooth, lithe muscle, he could attest to that. Eli rubbed his side painfully as his eyes roved over her crimson hair that blanketed her shoulders and face. _

_They said that crimson haired women were rare on Earth, for whatever reason. He reminded himself that she _was _half Vagan. But she was a traitor's daughter, and he didn't know what that made _her. _After a moment he realized the girl was studying him from behind her veil of red hair._ _He shook his head to clear it and went back to his post on the side of the door so she wouldn't see his blush. _

Amy Takeo awoke from her dream with a start, glancing around to find herself floating aimlessly in her room. She glanced over her shoulder, spinning around to find her bed covers and straps flung aside. She thrashed in her sleep and broke away again. This had been happening far too much for comfort.

She pushed off the wall and out into the hallway. She wasn't sure what she could accomplish here on the _Diva, _but anything was better than living in the Workshop. Having her two brothers engaged in violent arguments over the demonic-looking Susanoo did not create a gentle, welcoming atmosphere. She wondered once again how her mother could possibly be holding together after enduring so much tragedy.

_I'm a wreck myself. _But Sutura Takeo was a woman of greater steel than Amy was. The girl groaned. At least her troubles were confined to her dreams alone, unlike Sutura's.

"I'm telling you, a child like that aught to be handed over the Yellow Shirts and be done with it," a voice was saying. "Even Largan admits the boy was with the Fire Priests. Those people are pro-UE activists and anarchists. He's probably one of them."

Amy grabbed a rail on the wall and halted at the corner. Were they talking about that Decil child?

"I feel the same way you do, but I just can't bring myself to do something so callous to a kid."

Amy recognized the first voice as belonging to Edward Ottawa, the man in charge of the _Diva's _weapons control. The second voice was undoubtedly Adams Tinel.

"Yeah but we all know he's a UE. Decil may be a cute little runt now. But when he grows up he'll want to blast colonies just like the rest of them. I say we hand him over to his own kind and let them decide what to do with him. It's better than what we'd do if he was an adult."

"But he isn't an adult," Adams pointed out, "and that means he may not even know what he's doing. He could have escaped with the Gundam and returned to the UE, but he didn't and even fought the Zedas."

"It wouldn't surprise me if he _was _the Zedas' normal pilot," Edward replied with a scoff.

"Why?"

"I dunno. Something about how the UE suit moved all the times I have seen it. There was something juvenile about how it behaved."

"That's a rather bold assumption with no facts," Adams retorted. "And it doesn't change what I've said."

"Well Grodek agrees," Edward insisted. "And I heard Flit openly wants to send him out an airlock."

"Well consider this another issue on which our respected captain and I disagree," Adams said simply with a huff.

As the sound of their mag-clamp shoes faded away, Amy continued to hover by the wall, her conscience in turmoil.

_They aren't all monsters._

* * *

"I promise we are making the final adjustments as we speak," Sutura Takeo said as sweetly as she could. "The Workshop will be free the moment Mr. Madorna is finished."

"We personally assure you your orders will be met on schedule," Lalaparly Madorna insisted, giving her signature smile that posed as a lethal weapon for those of the opposite sex. "If not, I'll make it up to you," she put her arms behind her back sweetly.

"You two have been saying that for the past three months," snarled one of the five men standing before the two women, all dressed in immaculate business attire. "I want to speak with Madorna."

"Madorna is not available," Lalaparly said.

"That's what you keep saying. Where is he? I want to talk to the manager about my Shaldoll order."

"Listen Bubba-can I call you Bubba?-_I _am the one who makes the contracts, my husband just runs the smithy. I'm the one in charge here, not Madorna," she leaned forward, putting a hand to her chest, "Understand?"

The man stepped back, gritting his teeth. "You know who I am right? I could have this place turned into debris."

Several of the other men laughed amongst themselves, two of them stepping forward intimidatingly to their boss's side.

"Try it," Lalaparly challenged. She pointed a finger behind her back. "Remember all those warships docked outside? Guess whose side they are on? If their orders aren't met because you acted stupid, fingers start to get pointed in your direction. You know how Zalam and EUBA love grudges."

The first man growled. "Fine. But remember that ships are leaving and coming from Little Ring all day and night. They say they might even start up a new Tradelane Control. When they do, I'll need those Shaldolls."

"He's right," another one of the men said, this one wearing a white suit and purple-tinted glasses. "Get us our suits before the Feddies start throwing their weight around."

A sixth figure walked up from a closing elevator door, wearing a suit of such fine material it simply sparkled in comparison to the others. His wavy brown hair fell over a pair of intelligent red eyes. He flashed a warm smile toward the five men as he placed his hands to the small of his back.

"Gentlemen, if these," he glanced disdainfully with one hand at Lalaparly and Sutura, "Business women are being unreasonable about their priorities, then I have an offer for you. Techno Solon would be happy to accommodate you. In fact of immediately," his eyes sparkled. "And for only a fraction of the price. All conducted in the safe environs of Viceroy."

"Well, what figures are we talking about?" The white suited man asked.

"Techno Solon is prepared to bargain."

"Sounds good. Let's talk," the man said, rubbing his ample belly.

"My personal shuttle is waiting just outside," the Techno Solon rep replied with a congenial smile. "We have food prepared for you, if you are interested in discussing a deal over dinner."

"They're stealing our customers in our own smithy," Sutura hissed to Lalaparly. "Do something."

"And what do you expect me to do? You're the unmarried one."

"And you won't be either when Mukured hears how you let _three _Blackspace tycoons get stolen in front of you."

Lalaparly glowered daggers at Sutura before stepping forward, the click of her purple high-heeled shoes stopping the men in their tracks. She put a hand on her hip, "Gentlemen, please. You can't get high performance Shaldolls anywhere else. Remember why you approached us to begin with. And giving up those reasons for a nice meal? I never expected this from any of you."

The gang leaders glanced down, each in some pose of deep thought, calculating.

"That is all well and good for those who want the Federation to eventually put a halt to your operations," the Techno Solon man said, "But consider this: what is seventy-five Shaldolls when you could have two hundred Genoace to command?"

The overweight gangster spoke up first. "He's right. That many and I could form my own faction. You have a good proposition, Mr…?"

"Tyle Drace."

"Lead the way, Mr. Drace." The fat Blackspace tycoon said as the Techno Solon rep marched for the elevator. One of the other tycoons followed.

"And I thought the Shaldoll's performance speaks for itself," Lalaparly laughed. "Seventy-five Shaldolls _is _two hundred Genoace."

"I am prepared to wait," the last tycoon said, his pair of bodyguards flanking him.

"And because you are being so patient and reasonable," Lalaparly said with a smile, "we will double your order as a courtesy for free."

She deftly dodged Sutura's foot as it attempted to descend on her toes. She extended a hand, "Do we have a deal?"

"Most certainly."

After the contract was signed, Lalaparly sat back in the main office, smiling contentedly while Sutura raved.

"Are you out of your mind, Lalaparly!?" Shouted Sutura. "Double his order for free? There goes your marriage."

"Oh," Lalaparly's smile grew slightly more devilish as she twirled her hair around her finger, "I'm sure I can pacify Mukured. It might take some doing, but all will be well."

Sutura groaned and stalked toward the door just as it opened to usher in Madorna and Vargas.

"Oh, did you finish the Photon Cannon?"

"Yes," Vargas said, his voice dulled of enthusiasm.

Stoller Guavaran stepped through the door, a gun pointed squarely into Vargas' back. "Evening ladies," he tipped his hat. "Guavaran's the name. Investigation and incarceration's the game. I was wondering if you could possibly direct me to Captain Grodek Ainoa."

He smiled. "I'm just desperate to meet him, you see."

* * *

Amy leaned against the window, staring at the silver mirror panels gracefully spinning. What should she do? What would it mean for everyone else? For Jaden especially. Amy closed her eyes and her memories took her back to another place in time.

_Here is your dinner," Eli said, stepping over to Amy on her slab._

"_I know it's the same as the last meal but it isn't much different from my own rations," Eli continued, placing the food next to her. _

_Grudgingly, Amy rolled over and stared at the food. The bland rice galled her even from a distance. The other stuff looked like tofu but she still couldn't be sure. The only thing she found appetizing were the rolls, which oddly enough, she found exceptionally delicious. _

_Eli followed her gaze and held the roll up to her mouth. She fought off the blood rushing to her face as she took a bite. She finished chewing and swallowed. "I can eat by myself you know."_

_The young guard frowned. "Last time we let you go you tried to escape," he gestured at his black eye. "I don't want you to give me anymore demonstrations of your martial arts prowess."_

"_Roll."_

_Amy took another bite of the proffered bread and wondered if some kind of honey glaze was used to give it that sweet taste. "I hardly think bread, bad rice, and tofu are especially threatening to your high-tech prison cell. Unless that membrane stuff has allergies." _

_Eli looked away, making her wonder. His next words caught her by surprise. "I was wondering what you think of us?"_

"_What I think of 'us'?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. _

"_Uh," Eli blushed slightly and laughed, "No. I want to know what you think of the Vagan in general."_

"_Oh, _that,_" she said, looking up as she took another bite. When she made another attempt at escaping, she was going to have to find the recipe for those rolls before she left the ship._

"_I mean, face it. You loved your dad, and he was one of us. He just…didn't see things the same way. You even have one of our necklaces."_

"_I didn't know any of this," Amy shot back, thinking about spitting on him. She took another bite of roll as ammunition, but decided it was just too good to waste and swallowed the last bit. _

"_Tofu…stuff. You should have some meat."_

"_We don't really have much meat. The livestock often gets the same diseases we get, if not worse. So meat is pretty rare back at Mars. I was wondering what steak tastes like, we don't have many cattle left."_

_Well thank goodness it hadn't been Jaden captured, Amy decided. Although she would eat meat over tofu, she could live as a vegetarian. Her brother would probably find imprisonment of that nature a torture in itself._

"_We aren't all evil," the boy said after a moment of silence, broken only by Amy's steady chewing of the tofu. "It's called Mineral Mix by the way, not tofu. It's an instant food mix a lot of people eat. It can be a soup, or hard, depending on how you cook it. The man who made it is very wealthy."_

_How wonderful, Amy thought to herself. Like that actually meant anything to her. It proved that some things followed humanity throughout the solar system, in this case, instant foodstuffs, she guessed. She had to be grateful, because it was now serving the important function of ammo._

"_I don't even like the military," Eli said. "I wonder, was your father similar?"_

_Mentioning her father so much was getting too much for Amy, so she tilted her head back, aimed, and fired._

_Sighing, eyes half-lidded, Eli got up. "Good aim." He turned away and stalked out of the room, Mineral Mix trickling down his head and falling all over his uniform._

_Amy smirked. That would _surely _convince the idiot not to come back. And to not let her father ever come up in his conversation, she added to herself._

_To Amy's utter dismay and growing helplessness, Eli _did_ come back mere minutes later, with wet but clean hair, though the stains still remained on his uniform. He sat down with her again and produced a trio of steaming hot bread rolls from a small green container. _

_She didn't understand. None of the guards-not even that masked man-were willing to even come near her prison cell, not after she killed one of them and broke the warden's teeth. They had wanted her sent to 'The Cube', whatever that meant, but the masked man had forbidden it._

_Even after spitting on all the guards sent to feed her, Eli doggedly showed absolutely no fear. She stared down at the rolls hungrily. She never could eat much of the Mineral Mix or rice without gagging. The rolls were really the only thing palatable._

"_I kinda got the message that you _hate _the other stuff, so I brought you some more rolls. These are mine I was cooking up for lunch break, so they are still warm." He held one up for her to eat, his face serious. "Please don't spit them out."_

_Perfect, she groaned. He was hormonal. Now there was no hope of ever getting rid of him. Suddenly she smiled and took an enormous bite of the roll, the sweetness was even sweeter now. This lovesick guard was going to be her ticket to freedom. She took yet another bite, but her teeth clacked down on empty air._

"_First, I want my question answered. What do you think of us?"_

"_I hate them," she said, still not able to bring herself to lie._

_Eli looked down dejectedly as he held up the roll for her to eat. _

_Deciding her plan was in jeopardy, Amy quickly finished off the roll. "Well, not _all _of them." She met his gaze as he looked up quizzically. She shrugged, trying to look innocent. Lovesick boy though he was, she didn't like the intelligent sparkle in those startling blue eyes. "Just the ones that blow up colonies."_

"_Not all of us want that," Eli countered, offering her another roll. "I didn't even know what we were doing until I arrived in the Earth Sphere. __You know, you should really eat more than just the rolls, you could end up with scurvy or something else," he said._

"_Like a bunch of mass murderers would care," she snapped back._

_As she expected, Eli ignored her as he stuck the roll in her mouth and sliced open the last roll with a knife he produced from a pocket. He took the Mineral Mix and smeared it on the bread like butter. "It'll taste savory now, thanks to the mix. And you'll get the vitamins you need."_

_Amy finished off the roll, determined to win the battle against that voice in her head whose sole purpose was to remind her repeatedly that he was sacrificing part of his lunch for a prisoner he had all rights to starve. Why did it matter to her? But those blue eyes kept staring at her and she was finding it increasingly hard to look away._

_The roll tasted surprisingly good, even though it was still better plain. She continued eating, which apparently brought some measure of relief to Eli._

"_If you don't like what your people are doing, then why did you join the military?" Amy asked, trying to find something to talk about. Being baby fed was not something that she liked contemplating._

"_You don't know much about Mars," Eli retorted. "If you like, I could tell you. It's…not a happy story though."_

Amy jolted from her revere as Onette Cory stepped into the room, looking somewhat pensive herself.

"Oh," Onette said, surprised. "I didn't know someone was here." She looked at Amy's drawn face, "I seem to have this habit of walking in on other people's brooding," she laughed awkwardly. "…I'll leave now."

"No, you don't have to," Amy replied.

"Are you sure, you look like you're in the middle of debating something," Onette leaned closer, eyeing Amy carefully.

"I was thinking about Decil Galette. Are we really going to turn him over to the Yellow Shirts?"

"Um," Onette started fidgeting. "I guess. That was what Grodek said he was going to do. Milias supported him," she said after a moment, turning to stare out the viewport as the lumbering, massive form of the _Rafflesia _class capital ship lumbered past, saffron lights blinking periodically along its polished, brass and copper colored hull. The symbol of Zalam, done in black, was emblazoned upon the ship's bow.

"Ms. Milias?" Asked Amy in surprise.

"She says that the child could cause disaster at any moment, so she said," Onette replied uncertainly. "It's strange for her to say something like that."

"Well, if he is a spy then we have no choice, right?"

Onette glanced over at Amy, biting her lip. "Amy, what do you think of the UE? You were among them. What were they like?" She looked down, "I know they aren't aliens, so…Are they all monsters?"

Amy fumbled for the necklace absent from her neck, and missed its weight. "No, not all of them."

* * *

Woolf wiped beads of sweat from his brow with a towel. This was one thing he envied about Madorna's Workshop. With their illegal gravity generator, the Madorna's weight room became just that. Woolf always wondered how the Takeo men had gotten so buff throughout the years, especially considering that they spent most of their time building giant robots for him.

He had never realized that the generator, for reasons he would never understand, was stronger the closer one came to it. And that the generator sat conveniently below the weight room.

"Can't move," he muttered, dragging himself outside the gym to plop down on a bench. "It must be twice Earth's gravity in there or something. Those 20 dumbbells felt like forties."

He enjoyed intense exercise, but this was overkill. "I'm sticking with normal gravity from now on." On the flip-side, his physique hadn't suffered while he was here. He'd had to give up his old uniform after outgrowing it, or busting it rather. "This is the last day. So I can take it," he remembered, closing his eyes and setting his head against the wall.

"…I'm telling you this doesn't concern me."

"It has to, Largan. You are a Drace, you have obligations to the family. We both know the only reason you're here is to gather the AGE-1 data, but instead you waste this opportunity by courting that Alloy girl. Really Cousin, she's too much of a nobody for someone as high-blooded as yourself."

The reply was too muffled to hear. Woolf squinted his eyes as he got up from the chair and pulled on his white teeshirt. This didn't sound like a conversation he should miss. Woolf stalked around the corner, finding a door closed and probably locked. He pressed an ear to the door and listened.

"...True love and all that rubbish, Largan. Grandfather was willing to let you have the girl so long as you got the data. But instead you hand us bits and pieces."

"Quiet! I joined the forces because I wanted to continue the Drace tradition of piloting. And Grandfather doesn't make my decisions anymore. I'm a big boy now, I can marry who I want without his approval!"

"We both know what might _happen _should you do something so brash," the voice continued so low that Woolf barely caught the words filtering through the door.

"I swear if you hurt her you will all regret it," Largan snapped.

"This isn't about your poor choices in breeding stock, dear Cousin, this is about the AGE-1 data. Grandfather might not show mercy even to his eldest grandson should you disgrace us anymore."

"What more do you want?" Largan asked after a moment's silence, pleading creeping into his voice. "I gave you the armor composite formula, the skeletal frame schematics, the OS. I even gave a report on how the AGE-1 operates and evolves. And you have the plans for the DODS rifle. What more could you possibly need to know?"

"Don't play me for a fool _Largan. _Or I may forget you are family. How is this for starters: tell us _how _the AGE-1 evolves. Tell us _how_ the AGE System operates and tell us _how_ the Builder is designed. Give us _those, _dear Cousin, not '_reports_'!"

"I can't get that kind of information, I'm not a mechanic. I barely got you what I did without being caught. I even think Bruzar suspected my morning runs and started escorting Milias to work."

"Then we will take matters into our own hands. The young Asuno is in a position to where he is _obligated _to hand over the designs to his only surviving relatives. Maria has gone through so much to get the data. She. will. Have. It. _Largan. _Do you understand? Threaten him, force him to give up the data. Or kidnap him one. It could have been easy to slip away during Fardain. But instead of the boy you brought Grandfather _paper_ with meaningless dribble that only makes us want the data more!"

"Shut up Tyle," Largan yelled. "Your dad was always a good man. I tried to treat you like a brother for his sake. But you want to talk about family disgrace, you're the one who's disgraced the blood that's in you!"

There was a muffled sound, followed by a sudden groan of pain. A body thumped to the floor, and Woolf stepped aside as the door slid open.

Tyle Drace stalked out of the room, turning to see Woolf standing there passively, arms crossed over his head.

"I see you have a habit of 'sniffing' out trouble," Tyle said turning to regard Woolf with an unreadable expression.

"I was just passing by," Woolf said, turning aside to glance into the room. Largan lay crumpled on the floor, moaning as he tried to desperately stop the bleeding from a wound in his side. "Brotherly love. And I thought Fox Takeo was bad."

Tyle looked like he might spring. Woolf sighed and turned to regard the other man, hands on his hips. "I wouldn't suggest a runt like you try that on me," he pointed a thumb at himself. "Although I would be happy to accept the challenge."

Tyle sized up Woolf, noting that his physique was akin to some large, tawny cat. The knife suddenly felt nowhere near enough. But then, Tyle's best weapons did not rely on force.

"I am glad I had the chance to run into you," he said, straightening his jacket. "Let us say you disregard this little incident as a bad dream? If so, I have a proposition for you," he produced a small, golden disk from under his sleeve. He held it in his palm as it produced a wire grid schematic of a white mobile suit.

Woolf's eyes widened as his eyes roved slowly over the detailed plans. "Is this real?"

"It will be," Tyle smiled broadly. "I'll let you keep this," he tossed the holodisk to Woolf. "Something to keep in mind," Tyle added as he marched off.

Woolf scowled and tried to crush the disk, only to realize that it was truly gold plated. Sighing, he tossed it against the wall and watched it roll out of sight into a waste drain nearby even as a tortoise-shaped cleaning bot hovered past, leaving a trail of bubbly cleaning fluid.

"Woolf," Largan muttered, hobbling over to the door.

"I got yah buddy," Woolf said, carefully tucking his shoulder under Largan's arm. He felt Largan grip his teeshirt feebly.

"Medical bay," Largan said. "Is there a doctor around?"

"Amy went to nursing school for a while," Woolf said. "And there is a healing sleep unit here in the shop."

"Better hurry there then," Largan coughed up a glob of dark blood. "I don't have much longer. I think the knife got my liver."

"I'll get Amy," Woolf assured him.

"I didn't mean for things to come to this," Largan muttered as his grip began to loosen completely. "Watch out for Milias, Woolf. They'll kill her…to get what they want." His feet buckled underneath him.

"Don't worry," Woolf promised, "I didn't hear anything." He picked Largan up and placed him on his back in a fireman's carry. "Amy better not be tied up with anything."

* * *

The boat whizzed around a bend and came alongside so fast that those aboard Alzack Birming's craft barely had time to realize what was happening. A man wearing the dull blue uniform of an Investigation Bureau officer leaped aboard, whipping out a gun to aim at Grodek Ainoa's face.

"Arrg," Stoller said, pointing the gun and posing like it were a cutlass. "Avast ye scoundrel mutineers, you be boarded by Captain Guavaran."

Heath stepped aboard a moment later, his face somewhat flushed with embarrassment. "He means you are all under arre"-

-Stoller didn't even look as he kicked Heath back, sending him over the side with a splash.

"The name is Stoller Guavaran from the Investigation Bureau," Stoller said with a grin. "Mr. Grodek I presume?" He stared Grodek in the eye. "Would you like to surrender peacefully, or shall I make someone walk the plank?"

"We will never surrender," Boyage snapped courageously, staring down the barrel of the guns pointed at him from several soldiers on the other boat. "I don't feel the colony shaking. Until I do I won't believe you destroyed all our warships."

"Well you see, we just broadcasted a nonaggression signal and left it at that," Stoller said, shrugging his soldiers. "What did you expect me to do with only one _Darwin_?"

"He's smart," Milias admitted.

"Don't give the enemy compliments Milias," Grodek warned, standing up. "Stoller Guavaran, I remember you from days in the academy."

"Yes, those were the days," Stoller took out a chocolate candy bar and unwrapped it with a single hand with practiced ease.

"Some things never change I see," Grodek smirked.

"Well, I wish not," Stoller replied. "You are still up to your old hacking tricks, Grodek. You left a nasty trail back to your little terminal at Aliston. Now surrender quietly."

"I'm the one responsible for this," Grodek said quickly, "please understand my crew knows nothing of this mutiny. They believe we are on a secret mission from Command."

"I see," Stoller eyed Milias with a knowing smile, he bit into the chocolate bar for emphasis.

Heath, soaking wet, heaved himself back onto the boat, cursing Stoller under his breath to the snickers of the men on the boat. "Secret Mission? Are you thinking we are so idiotic to believe crap like that, when your subordinate is obviously in on this?"

"We believe you," Stoller said with an understanding smile, "You are after all, a master manipulator."

Heath's mouth dropped open. "Bu-but," Heath spluttered.

"But nothing," Stoller countered. Birmings, I'm afraid you're coming too. The Bureau would like a few words with you as well about harboring traitors. Same goes for Ract and Boyage. Come to think of it, you're all under arrest." He glanced at Boyage's quavering guard. "Except for him, he can go."

"What do we do?" Emily asked Flit as they watched the two boats float below the cliff.

"I'm not having this whole thing fall apart after coming this far," Flit stated. "Come on, we're going to the Gundam. Maybe we can ambush them before they leave the colony."

The two teenagers turned about and disappeared into the forest.

* * *

Amy Takeo ducked behind a corner as the guard passed. She glanced up at the monitors, wondering if they were off as promised. Could Amy trust that they would be? _It's not like I have much choice, _she admitted as she dived across the hall, sailing into a storage room. A guard tramped past, his mag-clamp shoes making him easy to track by sound.

"Guess Grodek isn't as good at organizing defenses as he is at assaults," Amy shrugged to herself. She patiently listened for the sound of the retreating guard's footsteps and then casually entered the hall and sailed into the brig's entrance. The door was closed, but Amy whipped out a data key and had the code broken in seconds.

She took one final glance at one of the cameras, seeing it pointed in the opposite direction, she rushed inside.

"Too easy," she said to herself. "That code was a predictable pattern."

Unbeknownst to Amy, a red light began to flash inside Grodek's office from his laptop.

A stomach knotting click echoed through the brig's main corridor. Amy whirled around, the bad feeling growing to panic as she found the door tightly sealed.

"You did not enter the correct clearance code." A female voice explained monotonously from a speaker. Amy cursed and spun around, determined to get Decil out before the guard returned.

"Going somewhere?"

Frozen in surprise, Amy slowly turned to find a guard floating idly inside one of the cells, pistol aimed at her head.

"It's on stun, so no worries," he said with a shrug.

Amy noticed a computer terminal inside the cell and decided that it wasn't going to be an option to lock the guard inside. _Ok. I was wrong. Grodek's a genius._

"The silent guard commed me," the man said with a grin. "Did you really think we'd only have one or two guards?"

"A mastermind," Amy muttered in disgust.

"Captain knew there would be those who disagreed with us, so he used this little scheme to lure those people in and trap them right where we wanted them, so to speak." The guard sighed and fired.

Amy dove under the blast, whipping out her wire-gun to slam into the man's computer terminal. The guard tried to fire at her again, but she grabbed his wrist in a lock and twisted the gun out of his hand, grabbing the terminal at the same time as it sailed into reach. The computer slammed into the man's temple, knocking him back and spraying glass shards everywhere. He suddenly drew a second pistol, and Amy desperately fired her wire-gun at the stunner with practiced aim.

The gun sailed to the side, and Amy fired her stolen gun into the man's torso. He convulsed and fell back, motionless.

"Now I have to hurry. The other guards are my only ticket out of here."

She rushed to the end of the hall. Decil was in the farthest cell, scribbling something on the wall idly with a piece of chalk. Amy realized the cells were soundproof as she beat on the glass to no response.

Amy took out the key again and placed it in the slot.

"Voice Key incorrect." The computer chided.

"I hate you," Amy said, even though she knew Grodek Ainoa could not hear her.

Was it all going to be worthwhile? Was this child worth this last step? She knew it was going to be the end of her, but she knew well what fate awaited the boy if he was handed over to the Yellow Shirts. If they willingly went out for mass slaughter, their treatment of prisoners couldn't be too nice.

"Alright, Grodek. This is your overactive brain's fault," she said to herself as she returned to the first cell, grabbing the guard just as the security door opened and the two other guards rushed in.

Amy fired off a blast from both pistols. The guard who entered first dodged the initial blast, but in so doing sailed into the second. He screamed and fell silent. The second guard pulled out his gun, and the whine told her that this soldier was going for the kill.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Amy warned.

The remaining guard looked to find that Amy had the pistol jabbed into the brig guard's left ear, stun setting disengaged. Taking in the situation, the man took a step back. "You win."

"That's right," Amy replied. "Put your pistol to stunner mode and slowly let go of it. Good. Now that belt. Excellent."

Amy pushed toward the guard. "Now slowly move down the hallway. Very Good. Now open the cell."

"You're going to be executed for mutiny," the man snapped, his voice disgusted.

"Now that's _funny,_" Amy said.

* * *

"Wait-look at this," Emily called to Flit as they reached the colony spaceport's main viewing gallery.

Outside, three Federation _Darwins _circled the _Diva _like sharks.

"Didn't he say there was only one _Darwin_?" Emily asked Flit.

"It was over the water, so we must have misheard," Flit said as they continued. "At least the mobile suits were transferred here during the last stages of construction."

"Halt," a voice commanded just as Flit and Emily reached the AGE-1.

A Federation officer with an assault rifle leveled marched over in a dull blue uniform.

"They must be dispersed all over the colony," Flit muttered. "If we could just let the EUBA or Zalam know, then we would outnumber them," he whispered hoarsely in Emily's ear.

"But how do we get over to the habitation modules with all these gunmen running around?" Emily retorted.

"Quiet! Both of you!" The soldier shouted. "Step apart slowly with your hands raised. Any sudden move and the girl gets it."

A green comet slammed into the man's temple. His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the floor. Dique strode over from the elevator, grabbed the machine gun, slung it over his shoulder and walked up to a gaping Emily and Flit.

"Need any help?" He asked.

"My hero," Emily gasped in surprise, ignoring Flit's raised eyebrow.

"Thanks, Dique," Flit said after a moment.

"Some Federation guy with an assault rifle tried to search my cabin, so I-uh, let's just say he's not around anymore. "I accidentally broke his rifle in half, so I used Haro instead. He makes a great kickball."

"We know," Flit said, rubbing his head as he started for the Gundam.

"The Federation has Grodek," Emily put in, "And the _Diva's _trapped by three _Darwins._ We have to warn the Zalam and EUBA officials somehow. But this port is crawling with Federation officers."

"Leave it to me," Dique said, brandishing the gun, "I can take'm."

"Glad to hear it," Flit muttered as he climbed into the Age-1's hatch. "Emily, what are you going to do?"

"I think I'll stay here," she said. "I'm not in the mood to go into battle, mobile suit or not."

"I'm off then," Flit said, closing the Gundam's cockpit hatch. "I don't see a Federation craft anywhere around here, so they probably came aboard through another exit."

He assumed Minsry had another spaceport on its posterior side, he just hoped he made it there in time.

* * *

**Space Fortress Ambat**

Geera Zoi stood inside his control room, face obscured by his mask and headdress. On the other end of the screen, silver haired Earth Federation Special Forces Commander Wooten Seers ground his teeth in frustration.

"My fleet is already positioned in the Uzalt field to block any escape from Minsry as planned. Why haven't your forces begun the attack?"

Geera Zoi did not hesitate to answer. It was after all, the truth. "We currently have a severe shortage of supplies and weapons. Our Gafran models may be lightyears ahead of your Genoace, but they are still machines that require maintenance. And our forces are split between our base here and Fardain."

"Don't give me that, Zoi. This was a premeditated attack by Command. You had your orders and did not bring up these issues during the meeting. Attack Minsry or I will consider this insubordination."

"I apologize," Geera Zoi said, trying to sound frantic, "But the enemy force is larger than anticipated. I cannot launch an attack knowing that if they manage to break through, Ambat will be in danger."

"In danger?-what are you babbling about?" Seers demanded. "Where are the bulk of your forces?"

"Many were forced to return to Mars for repairs, they just left two hours ago," lied Geera.

"Enough of this. _I _will deal with Minsry. You make sure your people are scattered through the debris belt. Do not let any survivors through. Grodek Ainoa shall not escape us again."

As the screen went dark, Geera Zoi began to cackle as he watched five _Fa Raza _class battleships and ten _So Lin _transports unloading their cargo. Gafrans and Baqtos disembarked by the dozens, workers in their luminous green helmets and dark normal suits prepared to maintenance the MS before sending them to join the ranks swelling at Fardain.

"I'm so sorry Colonel," Geera Zoi laughed to himself. "But you are no longer necessary. Blue Fall is coming, for better or worse."

In his heart, Geera prayed for the worst.

* * *

Crouched inside the darkened cockpit like a hungry wolf, Zanald Beihart waited patiently. The waiting was half the fun, after all. He grinned as he watched the three xv mobile suits floating off the _So Lin. _He crossed his arms at the Farsia and its auxiliary unit. Who wanted a pink mobile suit anyway?

He supposed the Veindorr and Lemora were impressive enough. But it didn't matter, so long as his own mobile suit performed in combat as well as it had in simulations. Let the X-Rounders play all they wanted. He wished he had seen Decil, the other boy could give him some tips for certain. But Decil's Zedas had returned to the station empty and battle-scarred. Zanald had the feeling he would not be seeing Decil Galette again.

He started his purple Baqto to life, cracking his knuckles. _Time to jump into the asteroid field._

* * *

**Outside Colony Minsry**

"It's so nice when things go according to plan," Stoller Guavaran said with a sigh of contentment as he munched on a chocolate bar.

"Oh Captain," Heath put his head in his hands.

"It must be hard on you," Milias said to Heath as he stood watch nearby.

"You have no idea."

"Does he have an endless supply of those things," Boyage asked as Stoller took another bite of his chocolate.

"Why of course," Stoller said with a proud smile.

The ferry shuttle banked around to the front of the colony, where the _Diva _and Madorna's Workshop smithy floated idly.

Everyone's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the encircled _Diva. _

"I thought you said you only had one _Darwin,_" complained Boyage.

"Oooh, excuse me for disguising the number of my forces to the enemy."

"To think you took his word for it," Ract laughed.

"Well he seemed like an upfront fellow."

Guavaran nodded with a smile. "I am. Tricky too."

"You can't be both," Heath snapped.

Stoller withdrew a bar with two chocolate pieces in it. "If you can have chocolate and caramel, and chocolate and peanut butter in the same candy bar, I can be upfront and tricky too."

"An intriguing philosophy," Grodek said, rubbing his chin.

"How"-Milias cut herself off, deciding it wasn't worth the effort.

"And now because we didn't know how dire the situation was, we are going to lose our flagship that we just spent five months upgrading," Ract said to Boyage.

"Well what about you? Do you have any ideas on how to remedy this situation?"

"Is that a Federation _Fleet_?" Yelped Milias, pointing back behind them out the rearward viewports, where a cluster of white hulled ships were clearing the cloud of rubble surrounding the secluded colony.

"Well, now that the cat's out of the bag," Stoller frowned, "I wanted to do this quietly before the Bumble Patrol arrived to start blowing things up."

"The what?" Milias asked.

"He means the Yellow Shirts," Heath said.

"Special Forces, Heath," chided Stoller with a grin, wagging his finger at his deputy captain. "Naughty naughty. You should show proper respect for your fellow officers."

Heath groaned and shut his ears from the officers sitting up front near the cockpit. "Why? Why of all the people to be put under did I get him?"

Stoller shook his head sadly as he took another bite. "I'm gonna have to duck your pay for that, Heath," he bit into the chocolate bar for emphasis.

A pair of dark blue Genoace came down beside the ferry craft as it angled toward one of the _Darwins. _A voice crackled through Stoller's earpiece. "Sir, have finished securing the _Diva."_

"Good. Let's split before the Special Forces engage."

"We can't outrun that fleet easily if they laid mines," Heath cautioned.

"And we both know Prophet Nazi would lay them for sure," Stollar muttered, biting into his chocolate bar.

"Prophet Nazi? Would someone please tell me what the chocoholic is talking about?" Milias cried.

"He means Colonel Seers," Heath droned, massaging his temples.

"After all," Stoller chewed, pulling down the wrapper for another chomp, "He probably 'foresaw' our inevitable escape into the asteroid belt," he bit into the chocolate bar for emphasis.

"Should I ask?" Milias groaned.

"Seers-prophet-foresaw," Heath started, "Wait-why am I explaining his deranged rants to you?"

"Can we be thrown in the brig now?" Ract asked. "This witty banter is getting too much for me."

"My knee's sore," Grodek complained.

"Then stop slapping it," Milias interjected as Stoller was about to speak.

"Witty banter?" Boyage shook his head sadly. "I really do pity the men under you, really."

"I was being sarcastic, you crusty old crustacean!" Ract screamed, his rage boiling over.

"Shall I get a pot of water?" Stoller asked helpfully.

The room grew quiet.

"Ahem," Heath cleared his throat.

"Sir! Unidentified mobile suit approaching!" The pilot called.

"It has horns and two eyes!" The first pilot cried into Stoller's earpiece.

"You Jest!" Stoller cried. "Evasive maneuvers! Inform the _Zero _to prepare for anti-MS fire!"

"No need to panic Sir," Heath said reassuringly, "So long as the mobile suit isn't white, we can't be in danger."

At that moment the right Genoace erupted into a storm of fire and blazing shrapnel. A pair of manipulators grabbed the ferry and hurled it from the _Darwin._

Stoller unleashed his wire-gun as the occupants of the ferry were hurled from their seats.

Outside the ferry, Flit Asuno slashed at the remaining Genoace with his beam bayonets, nearly cutting into its chest section. The Genoace kept up a steady stream of fire from its spray gun, keeping the Gundam off-balance. "I can't aim if the arm keeps moving!" Flit complained as the Age-1 was knocked about constantly. "Agh, stop firing!" He drew the beam saber, rushing in with a blast of exhaust.

As the Genoace drew its heat stick and met the Gundam in a storm of sparks, the ferry's erratic spinning grew slower. Inside, Milias opened her eyes weakly and tried to move, only to realize something tight restraining her.

"What?" She moaned. Something chocolaty wafted into her nostrils as she looked down to find the chord of a wire-gun wrapped securely around her waist, her arms and fingers hopelessly tangled. "What's that smell?"

She looked over to see Stoller approaching smugly, his mag-clamp shoes securing him to the floor even as the ferry around Milias spun.

"That Ms. Alloy," Stoller said, "Is the smell of competence."

"It _is _a Gundam," Heath cried, also hopelessly entangled, Boyage, Ract, and Grodek in similar straits.

"Calm down," Stoller snapped. Our other mobile suits are launching. And it can't touch us here if we threaten to put down one of the people it's trying to save. Gosh, Heath. Didn't you think I would think this through?"

"Jonathan," Stoller spoke into his earpiece, "Destroy the Gundam."

"I can't stop a Gundam with a Genoace!" The pilot snapped. "I have no weapons capable of fighting it! This is suicide."

"Just keep it off balance," Stoller snapped back.

Just then the Age-1 lunged away from a heat stick slash then darted forward with a flash from its feet thrusters to slice off the Genoace's head, which sailed past the ferry.

"Jeez," Stoller unwrapped another chocolate bar. "You didn't have to lose your head over it."

"You used to be the champion of wire-gun fights at the academy," Grodek said, "It is amazing that you found a use for that talent."

Suddenly the Gundam grabbed hold of the ferry, Flit's voice filled the passenger bay, "Captain Grodek, are you alright?"

"Just a little tied up at the moment," Grodek said.

"He'll be worse than that if you don't surrender," Stoller said, pointing his gun at Grodek's head. "I have to break it to you, but there is a Special Forces fleet en route to destroy this colony. If you let us leave fast with Grodek, we might be able to save Minsry. If not, I think you can kiss this place goodbye. Well kid?"

"Please let him do as he wishes with us I beg of you!" Alzack Birmings called from the edge of the room, where two officers held him down. "There's not much time. Think of the people inside the habitation modules!"

Flit thought a moment, gazing out at the fleet in the distance and envisioned what they planned to do, then at the twelve Genoace fastly approaching from the trapped _Diva._

"No." Flit said, iron in his voice. "I don't know who you are or what kind of person you are, but if you kill Captain Grodek you will join him shortly afterward I promise you."

"Flit," whispered Milias.

"Listen to me, Stollar," Grodek said quickly, "think about what you are doing. Who's side do you think I'm on?"

Flit violently shook the ferry, sending everyone tumbling, save Stoller, who stood impassively, clamped safely to the floor.

"That won't work on me kid," Stoller laughed, grabbing Grodek and pulling him close, gun pressed against his forehead.

"You're a traitor, I don't need to think about it."

"You know what they are doing, what Operation Cleansing is," Grodek continued, voice steady. "I can see it in your eyes, Stoller. Don't let it end this way, not after we have all come so far. If we do not end this now, it could be a war that spans generations. Or worse, this entire tragedy will continue until Cleansing is finished."

"And that matters to me how?" Stoller asked.

"You are a man who wants to bring evil to light, no? If you smother the truth now, you are turning your back on everything you are."

"Commander Guavaran," an officer called, "the _Rafflesia _is approaching."

Stoller glanced out the viewport to see the shining brass and copper visage of the Zalam capital ship, a horde of _Chalcedony _and _Sing-Lung _rushing up behind her.

"We may not be able to hold them off forever," Heath remarked grimly as he watched the behemoth _Rafflesia _charging up its array of cannons.

"We could lose the _Kit _if that monster fires."

"Hah, that'll teach you," grinned Boyage.

"It's your choice," Grodek said, "you will lose your fleet, the Special Forces will be destroyed, and you with them. At the worst, I will die, and Zalam and EUBA will turn on each other. Is this the time for the Federation to be dealing with a second Colony War? With their knowledge of what Cleansing is about, I'm sure the people of Zalam and EUBA will not leave the Federation out of this."

"Are you saying by taking you in, it will trigger a war?"

"Oh you better believe it," Boyage said with a grin.

"Sir, what exactly is the traitor talking about? What is this Cleansing?" Heath asked in confusion.

"I'll brief you later," Stoller said. "It's a shame we ended up not finding the man we were looking for, eh Heath?" He stowed his gun.

"What are you talking about?" Heath asked incredulously.

"We failed to find Captain Grodek," Stoller said. "As a matter of fact, he found us."

Stoller whipped out a knife and sliced through the chords securing Grodek. "How about it old friend? Care to let me aboard your little escapade?"

"It would be a pleasure," Grodek exhaled in relief. He glanced out the viewport at the three _Darwins. _"And it couldn't be at a better time."

"Forgive me for interrupting this pleasant turn of events," Ract called, "But we are about to be burned to a crisp by Boyage's warships. Could you be so kind as to untie us and give us a comm. so we can call off our fleet?"

"Certainly," Stoller said quickly, "Heath! Untie those people, they just became our superiors!"

"Wait-I'm so confused," Heath moaned as he set about the task.

"Uh, Captain Grodek," Flit called, using the Gundam to point, "the Special Forces fleet is approaching."

Everyone turned to see that the fleet had arrayed itself at the other end of the colony, their entire mobile suit complement of orange Genoace deployed and arrayed for battle.

Suddenly there was a flash and the Zedas lanced from the debris belt nearby, hurtling toward the battlefield. It opened up its machineguns, rattling five Genoace nearby with hundreds of holes. Flit cried out and grabbed the ferry and placed his shield in front of it as the Zedas dashed overhead, unleashing a scattercannon shot that sent the Genoace scrambling away.

Almost nonchalantly, the Zedas whipped over to the bridge of the center _Darwin, _charged and fired its chest cannon at full power, totally obliterating the bridge in a pillar of shrapnel. The Zedas disappeared inside the burning cloud.

"Where is that thing heading?!" Grodek demanded.

"Flit was it?" Stoller called over his earpiece. "Get after that UE and engage."

* * *

"What do you mean she's in the brig?" Yelled Woolf Enneacle at Adams Tinel.

"I understand you need her help but I can't let her out until Captain Grodek gets back," Adams retorted.

Woolf keyed off the chat screen as the G-Exes stormed from Madorna's Workshop, "Amy what is your problem, getting into a mess like that?"

Woolf jumped in his seat as he nearly hit a normal suit floating past. Woolf magnified the image, realizing that there was someone inside the suit. "Decil!" He cried.

Just then Woolf noticed a black object hurtling from the direction of the _Diva. _

_That thing again,_ Woolf scowled.

The Zedas transformed, spun wildly and then dashed in a corkscrew into the G-Exes, slashing away with its sword. Woolf parried the blows on his shield and dove away from the Zedas, already drawing the DODS rifle.

The crosshairs landed on the Zedas' hand as it reached out for Decil, who reached back with his hand as if guiding the monstrosity. The Zedas took the child and placed it up to its visor. Decil slid into the open hatch, which shut quickly. With a blast of gold light, the Zedas rocketed away.

"Decil," Woolf muttered. He glanced back at the _Diva. _"Amy did this."

* * *

"Why?" Woolf yelled, slamming his fists into the wall of the cell, which absorbed the sound with a dull thud. "There's a battle going on and Largan needs your immediate attention. But I can't let you out because you let that brat go."

Amy looked away.

"_Is it really true?" Amy asked, Eli's words swirling in her head. "To think people like you could endure something like that and still follow the Vagan, I understand why my father left now."_

"_Not all of us wanted to abandon the other people on Mars," Eli said. "I have family there. We are all trying to bring them here, to Earth."_

_Amy stroked her father's necklace thoughtfully. "Then I guess my father really had forgotten about all of you." It galled her, but she was starting to see the masked man's point of view._

"_I don't think so," Eli said._

_She looked up in surprise. "He tried to go to the Federation and hand over their technology to destroy you. That doesn't sound like what I would do if I still cared about my people."_

"_He didn't get rid of that necklace," Eli smiled, pointing at the pendant hanging from the beaded thread. "Your dad even gave it to you as a gift. Someone who loves you like I'm sure he did wouldn't give his daughter something like that unless it held a great deal of value."_

"_An amulet doesn't prove anything. It was just a memento," she said. _

"_Then how about this," Eli took the pendant and rubbed a hand over the markings. "The design on here is a glyph used back home in the temples. It means 'remember'. He kept it so he wouldn't forget us, I think. He just didn't want to take the unkind steps to bring us back. I don't blame him."_

"_If that is what it says then I guess I inherited my father's will to remember the Vagan," she laughed. "Life is full of irony."_

"_Eli Boles, stop chatting with the prisoner and bring her out, it is time for the exchange."_

"_What are they doing?" Amy asked, apprehension gripping her like a vice. _

"_I forgot to tell you, but it's time for you to go back," Eli said. "I guess that's good news."_

_Grinning genuinely for the first time in that cell, Amy hopped up and started for the door. _

_She turned back, noticing that Eli wasn't following. "Thank you for being so kind to me," she said._

"_You're welcome." _

_After a moment of hesitation, Amy started to leave again._

"_I have a request," Eli spoke up, coming after her. "Don't forget me, will you?" He blushed awkwardly. "I'd like you to stay, but we're from different worlds and it's time for you to go back to yours. We're going to be on opposing sides from now on. Please don't forget I'm not a monster."_

_Amy looked down for a moment, then pulled off her necklace. She kissed the pendant and then placed it in his hand. "I'll not forget."_

Inside the prison cell, Amy stared at the scribbling Decil had carved into the wall with some kind of chalk. She didn't recognize the writing until she realized it was a musical scale. They had music, they had love, they had hopes. And they felt all the same pain the people of the Earth did. They were still human and not even the distance of two worlds changed that.

"I have to go. The battle for Ambat might well end here. I hope you're satisfied by releasing that monster." Woolf swung around and exited the cell. The door slid shut, locking Amy in a noiseless world.

She began to hear the thudding of her own heart like a drum, a metronome to the song etched on the wall.

* * *

Author's note: Well, that's chapter eleven. With Christmas coming on so soon, chapter Twelve might be up later than I anticipated, but it's coming.

In the meantime, read and review!


	12. Chapter 12 Running the Asteroids

As I type, it is swiftly closing in on Christmas Eve, so a merry one to all and a happy new year.

Especially those of you who review and give critical feedback. Remember kids, Santa's got that omniscient hunk of ice crystals that can apparently see you at any moment he chooses. It's not to late to be put on the naughty list, my dear readers. So if you don't want anthracitic rock in your stockings, beware and review.

_**Chapter Twelve Running the Asteroids**_

**February 27****th****, AG116-Colony Minsry, the **_**Diva**_

Grodek Ainoa sat tensely on the bridge of his ship, waiting patiently as Edward Ottawa desperately tried to power up the _Diva's_ weapon systems. Outside, a fleet of battleships arranged in a ribbon moved toward Minsry, intent on wrapping their formation around it like a python.

"The enemy flagship is hailing us," Milias said from her station. "Captain?"

"Put him on screen."

The silver haired commander appeared moments later, his amber eyes flickering dangerously. "I assume I am speaking to Captain Grodek of the _Diva_?"

"That would be correct," Grodek replied grimly. "Your name?"

"Colonel Wooten Seers, Special Forces. I assume you can see that my ships are nearly in position to blast Minsry off the face of this universe. I'm not here to capture you, but kill you and these Colonist rebels once and for all. Unless, of course, you can give me a good reason not to."

"It seems to me you have made up your mind to cause bloodshed and destruction," Grodek replied evenly. "I doubt anything I can do will persuade you to cease attacking an environmental colony that holds little strategic value."

"Oh we intend to target the habitation modules too, never fear. Once we are done with your fleet, we shall take care of your Noran rats who escaped us twice now." Seers smiled like a viper.

"Do you have no shame?" Grodek asked the colonel, his voice condescending.

"I should be asking you, Traitor."

Grodek waved his hand, and Milias cut the transmission for him.

"Cory, where is Madorna?" Demanded Grodek.

"He's coming aboard now. I can contact him if you like?"

"Please do," Grodek said as he watched the United Fleet of Zalam and EUBA ships starting for the Special Forces' _Darwins. _

"I'm inside the cannon room," Madorna's voice called on the chair's personal terminal. "We should have the ship's power cables hooked up to the cannon and the other weapons in two minutes."

"A lot can happen by then," Grodek replied. "Get working on it."

"Hey don't blame us," Lalaparly's voice called. "Blame those Federation idiots for screwing us. When they boarded the ship they cut the power to the cannons. And how did you win them over exactly?"

"Later Lalaparly," Grodek said, cutting the transmission. "Milias, where are our MS forces?"

"Flit has reequipped with the Titus wear and the G-Exes is currently engaging the enemy mobile suits."

"Where is Largan Drace?"

"He is in the medical bay," Adams spoke up, swiveling around in his chair, "in the Workshop. Woolf requested we send Amy Takeo to treat him, she apparently has medical experience."

"Do it," Grodek commanded, "It's too late to complain about Decil."

"But can we really trust that girl?" Edward asked from his station. "She let him go. The UE might have brainwashed her or something. She might be an enemy agent."

"Um," Onette Cory spoke up, "I was the one who helped her in freeing Decil. She meant well, she was just afraid of what you might do to him."

Adams and Edward turned to glare at her, while Milias scowled from her station, not turning around. Something else was pulsing in the back of her mind, a hidden danger hiding out there amidst the debris. She forced herself to think on that and nothing else.

"All of you get back to your stations," Grodek commanded. "This is a combat situation and you are professional soldiers, mutineers or not."

This sent the bridge crew back to their work in a flash. Grodek glanced down at the monitor. "Any sign of the Zedas?"

"Not at present, Captain," Cory replied. "It disappeared into the debris belt and vanished. It might still be damaged from the battle at Titit."

"Then we worry about that later," Grodek said, rubbing his beard as his mind carefully worked through his fleet's options. _There must be a falling out with the UE if Seers is attacking with his own vessels. _

"Looks like we got on the good guy's side just in the nick of time," Stoller said, his voice appearing in a small chat screen on the chair monitor next to the Madornas. "How long until the _Zero _is repaired?"

Grodek switched to a camera showing a swarm of Madorna's Workshop and EUBA worker pods covering the dull blue hull of Stoller Guavaran's _Darwin _with their yellow and red hulls. "I promise it won't be long. Sutura is doing everything she can."

"In the meantime, what do we do?" Stoller asked. "Wait too long and I'll start calling the shots." He bit into a chocolate bar.

"Keep the _Kit _and _Kat _on standby near the debris belt. I plan to end this in one blow before that deranged Colonel destroys Minsry."

"Whatever you say," Stoller said, turning his attention to the bridge, his screen staying open for ease of contact. Ract and Boyage's faces appeared beside his moments later, both wearing pilot's helmets.

"We are both prepared to sally into battle," Ract said as Grodek watched the Titus Gundam rush out of the catapult deck on Cory's mark.

"I'm going out too, can't let the youngsters have all the fun," Boyage said.

"That is not the plan," Grodek warned. "I want your ships to begin firing everything you can—throw up a wall between Seers and the Colony."

"What?" Boyage asked in disbelief. "If we don't engage now, Minsry is done for."

"Please have faith in this ship," Grodek said.

"You don't plan to reveal our trump card," Ract asked cautiously.

"At this stage we have little choice," Grodek warned.

"He's right about that," Milias whispered to herself. She concentrated in an attempt to bring out her latent powers a second time. It wasn't much, but she could definitely discern a menace floating somewhere out there in the darkness beyond. But was it Seers' intent to kill, or something else?

* * *

Inside Madorna's Workshop, Jaden Takeo stared grimly up at the Susanoo. It wasn't time yet. The Susanoo's powers would be wasted on the Special Forces. Jaden wanted the Vagans as its first prey. He knew it wouldn't bring his father back. He passed by Aren Takeo's workroom-now an empty space awaiting old storage crates-and felt his blood boil his heart with each pump. No longer would Jaden rush into the room to glance over his father's shoulder as Aren attempted the arduous task of explaining a mobile suit's inner workings.

As Jaden moved into the cockpit of the Susanoo, his mind flashed to Fox and his deranged argument about the UE. Did he not understand what kind of loss Jaden had been dealt? He guessed not. But as he felt the cushioned black pilot's chair conform to his body, and felt the headset slowly flip around to cover the back of his head and ears, he decided it didn't matter.

Because _he_ felt the loss of his father from his life, and he would make sure the UE were dealt a fearsome blow by Aren's legacy that was the Susanoo. He knew it wouldn't bring his father's presence back into that empty, cold room. Killing the UE, humans or not, would change nothing about his father's fate.

And that was why the UE could just simply not be allowed to live without some of their own blood spilled.

* * *

"Yeah!" Lhuga shouted as her white and lavender G-Exes Custom dashed into battle, DODS rifle blasting away two Genoace in a single shot of swirling beam energy. Spray gun fire fell around her like a swarm of red fireflies, but she deftly zipped through them, using her shield for those she couldn't dodge.

"This thing kicks some serious ass," she ignited a beam saber and flipped underneath an attacking Genoace, a vertical slash from the saber ripping the hapless machine in-two.

"Glad you like it," Fox laughed, angling his Genoace F's gigantic shoulder mounted Fox Cannons at an oncoming _Darwin, _its sleek white hull bristling with black gun emplacements. A pair of powerful green blasts flew from the cannons, spearing into the _Darwin's _catapult deck just as a Genoace prepared to launch. It disappeared in a plume of fire, breaking the ship in half.

"That won't be enough," Lhuga said. "They can split like that on purpose-Hey, missiles!"

Fox reconfigured his guns and launched a spray of beams, spearing a horde of missiles on the emerald blasts, "I hear the _Diva _has a plan for these guys."

"Then we get to have fun picking off the small fries," Lhuga smiled inside her cockpit, pulling her silk scarf over her face. Her eyes widened as she sliced two Genoace apart with a single swipe, using the backslash of the blade to stab out a third's main camera. "I've been looking forward to ripping these guys apart for _years._" She flexed her hands about the controls and darted for her next set of targets. "This is for Sirius and all the others you've hurt!"

* * *

Inside the cockpit of the Titus, Flit floated impatiently near the bridge of the _Rafflesia, _itching to join the fray. A Shipsinker missile streaked from the lead enemy _Darwin._

Flit dashed to the front of the _Rafflesia _and swiveled the Titus' shoulder armor around to face the oncoming warhead. A groove appeared around the three openings in the spherical armor, unleashing a blinding hurricane of beam fire as they spun. The Shipsinker erupted into an eye-piercing starburst. The main monitor of the cockpit grew dark momentarily, saving Flit from having his eyes dazed by the flash.

"Thanks for the save," the _Rafflesia's _Operator called from the auxiliary screen.

Don Boyage's Gala unit rushed down beside the Titus. "Just got word from the _Diva _for all of us to pull back," Boyage's voice said through the comm. "Do not engange the enemy fleet."

"Yes sir," Flit said turning the lumbering Titus around and flying down alongside the immense hull of the _Rafflesia. _

The green halo flashed in his peripheral vision; Flit slammed on the foot thrusters, stopping the Titus and nearly throwing himself into the control panel.

Flit glanced around. He thought he felt eyes watching him from somewhere beyond the colony, on the other side. But the sun was behind the Earth at this point, and the darkness of space could not be cut. If only his X-Rounder senses were more attuned he felt he could unveil whatever was lurking out there, watching.

* * *

**Space Fortress Ambat**

"Decil?" Yark Dole Briar asked incredulously at the holoscreen floating immobile in front of him. "Is that you?"

"Who else would be inside my Zedas, idiot?" Decil said dully. His face brightened. "There's a battle going on, so I was wondering if you wanted me to join it."

"Get back here this instant!" Geera Zoi snapped, coming over from the central holographic map in the center of the command center. "When the Zedas came back without you, we thought you were lost!"

"Hey, calm down," Decil raised his hands defensively, then but them behind his head, looking away, "You repaired it didn't you? You have more faith in my invincible fighting prowess. I know it."

"Where have you been?" Yark Dole asked, regaining his composure.

"I got captured while monitoring the enemy. They made some weird upgrade to the arrow ship, but I never figured out what it was. Photonsomthingorother."

"Enough," Geera Zoi wiped away the holoscreen, cutting the transmission. He whirled on Yark Dole. "That wasted spy operation was your doing," he hissed. "I cannot allow you to risk our X-Rounder pilots any longer, they are too much of a valuable asset to have you lock them away or send them off on some random mission."

"What do you mean?" Yark Dole asked coldly.

"I'm taking the Fortress' X-Rounder units under my direct supervision," Geera replied.

"Those X-Rounders are human beings, Geera. Not tools of war."

"Isn't that why their power was created?" Geera countered. "Is that not what their ancestors were for? They are machines, Yark. Nothing more." He turned about and stalked from the room.

"Where are you going?" Yark Dole demanded.

"To fetch that little beauty you brought aboard this fortress. I need a pilot for the new Farsia we just obtained from Mars. It needs a test pilot, and she just volunteered. I'm sure Decil could use a nice powerup."

"No!" Yark Dole yelled after the retreating Geera even as a pair of guards blocked his way.

"Do not allow the Priest to follow," Geera Zoi commanded. He smiled as he stalked down the darkened hall, Yark Dole's desperate pleas growing fainter with each echo. This was going to be entertaining. He grinned.

* * *

**Colony Minsry, the **_**Diva**_

"Photon Cannon charged," whooped Edward from the weapons console.

"I'll handle the aiming," Grodek said, looking toward his armchair terminal and a targeting scope appeared on screen.

Outside, the _Diva's _twin hangers began to split apart from each other, revealing a massive gun barrel inside, just below where the _Diva's _main particle cannon sat. A series of small panels flipped up along the sides of the two hangers, blue bursts of light emanating between them.

On the bridge, Grodek forced his breathing to be calm. If the UE observed the _Diva's _new weapon, his plans for attacking Ambat might very well fall to pieces. However, the lives of Minsry and its people came first. However, if he was going to fire, he absolutely had to make the one shot count.

"Firing Photon Cannon," He said, raising his voice with determination alight in his eyes.

Inside the _Diva's _Photon Cannon compartment, the Madornas and their men quickly retreated as the machinery powered to life in an electric hum.

* * *

**Federation Special Forces battleship, **_**Queen's Banner**_

The ship's catapult arms just separated sir!" An officer reported to Colonel Wooten Seers as he sat confidently in his elevated captain's chair. "Enormous heat signature detected! It's rising!"

"I'll show that fool what tricks will get him," Seers muttered. He glanced out the window toward the colony, protected from his fleet by a ceaseless screen of firepower from the Zalam and EUBA fleet.

"Begin Firing on the colony. We can't waste anymore of our precious time," Seers commanded. "Move around the enemy's fire and send in our MS teams."

He glanced at a report scrolling across his chair terminal, and licked his lips. So that diabetic-to-be Guavaran had failed and was still hanging around with his investigation ships. Well, whatever the reason, Seers decided he didn't care. If Guavaran did not escape by the time he reduced Minsry to spacedust, he'd consider the man a traitor and vaporize him too.

Yes, today was a good day. When all was said and done, he would give that Geera Zoi a piece of his mind too about insubordination. A good backhand would do wonders. His fingers ached in anticipation.

* * *

"The enemy ships!" Woolf grunted to Flit over the comm. as the two watched near the _Diva's _left catapult deck.

Flit magnified an image of every last cannon on the white _Darwins _swivel to face the fragile Minsry and fire.

Just then an awesome pillar of light lanced in front of his eyes. The Special Forces fleet vanished in a brilliant white light. Flit threw up his hands.

The wave of fire streaked through the line of warships, obliterating nine in a single stroke. Like a sword of heaven stabbing through thin paper, the glaring white beam swept into the tenth ship, breaking it in half, then tore apart two more in a thunderous, violet burst. Beam energy rained down on the remaining six _Darwins_, scoring their hulls black.

Flit opened his eyes to see that most of the fleet had simply vanished. Multiple bright fireballs in the distance indicated the hundreds of Genoace now reduced to a constellation of dying stars.

"They aren't through yet," Woolf's voice said tensely. "They're going to go on the revenge path and break up that colony with everything they have. Come on!" The G-Exes dashed forward like a comet. Flit hesitated for a second, then gunned the engines to maximum, sending the hulking Titus after white Gundam.

Up ahead, the six _Darwins _stalked forward, streams of beam fire reddening Minsry's sides with an unstoppable barrage. Squadron after squadron of surviving orange Genoace gathered like a swarm of insects in front of the battleships. Behind them, the _Darwins _started launching missiles into the colony wall.

"I don't see any air vent leakage," Flit said apprehensively, not sure he wanted to believe Minsry's good fortune. "Is it because of the layer of rock and earth they have in the interior?"

"Less talk more shooting," Woolf's voice crackled as the G-Exes darted erratically in a blur of movement, firing a withering barrage of DODS beams that drilled apart Genoace one after another.

Flit directed the Titus further into the deluge of Spray Gun shots, feeling invincible like the UE. It was nice to be impervious. _However-_Flit squeezed his eyes closed, clearing all thought away. His fear at being blinded again rose up, just as bad as his first duel outside Nora.

"If I can draw out these powers Yurin believed I had"-Something, a ripple of sudden fear, lanced through his mind. He swung the Titus around and used the DODS fist to smack away a bazooka shell. An orange and black Genoace rushed in, firing off another shot. Flit launched a pair of shots from the back-mounted DODS rifles, tearing apart the Genoace in an instant.

"I don't have time to be slacking," he sent the Titus into the thick of the enemy. A mass of orange mobile suits dashed at him, intent on immobilizing and capturing the red Gundam with sheer force.

Beam spikes sprung to life on the Titus' shoulder armor and knees. Its fists vanished within a cyclone of crimson fire as its forearms separated and formed a pair of beam rings.

"You think you can defeat the Titus in a test of strength!" Laughed Flit, slamming the Lariats into the mass of orange mobile suits. Firing away with the DODS rifles to clear a path ahead, the Titus plowed through the mass of Genoace like they were cardboard, leaving a trail of shredded limbs and blazing infernos. Wreckage flew everywhere, all sparking and half melted.

A silver Genoace angled up towards him, firing a storm of missiles. Flit charged at the enemy suit, flipping its shoulder armor around to unleash a storm of beam bolts, blasting away the missile swarm in an instant. The Silver Genoace rushed in, a beam saber in hand. The red Gundam didn't back away and rushed in to meet the Genoace, slamming its knee into the Genoace's chest, the beam spikes digging into the cockpit and burning the pilot away in an agonizing moment.

Flit angled away, the shoulder spikes leaving a gash in the silver armor as the Titus passed by. Up ahead, the Elmeda was streaking across the battlefield, a bizarre insectoid mobile armor rushed up beside it, latching onto a nearby Genoace and ripping open the cockpit. It's red fangs stabbed inside; the Genoace went limp.

"I'm impressed, Flit Asuno," Ract Elfamel's voice said over the comm. "Your Titus outdoes itself."

"What is that thing?" Flit asked, the engineer inside of him getting the better of his piloting sense.

"The Xynelda," Ract replied. "It's an auxiliary craft for my Elmeda unit," he dodged a Genoace as it rushed in for the kill. The Elmeda slashed the Genoace's arm off, and the Xynelda rammed it with a pair of beam lances.

"I'm going to destroy one of those _Darwins,_" Flit announced, angling toward the nearest vessel, its cannons pumping an endless stream of fire at the colony. After five months, Minsry had become a second home to Flit. He wasn't about to let it be destroyed too.

* * *

"Don't hold up your fire," the captain of the _Lee _said from the bridge of the _Darwin, _now in command with the destruction of Seers' flagship."We'll show these rebels the cost of defying the Federation!" He watched in glee as the colony finally began venting water, a brown stream after being mixed with the colony's fake crust of earth and rock.

"Captain!" His officer screamed. The captain of the _Lee _turned to see a red Gundam rush toward the bridge, a set of three glowing beam spikes protruding from its armor. The bridge crew's lives ended in a burning crash.

* * *

Outside the finished _Lee, _Flit turned and hammered the prow with a beam Gatling barrage, throwing in a steady volley of DODS rifle blasts. The hull of the _Lee _buckled and finally erupted in a wave of fire. Flit casually turned on the bridge tower and tore it in-two with a beam Lariat. The red Gundam dashed away from the burning ship with a flash from its glowing eyes.

Flit glanced over the sensor screen, noting another ship nearby. He glanced up to see several missiles from the _Rafflesia _slamming into the _Darwin. _Belching smoke, it angled away from Minsry and started to retreat.

Then something bizarre began to happen to each of the remaining ships. Blasts of teal beam fire punched into the holes of each craft, tearing them violently apart in a matter of seconds. Flit stared open-mouthed as the five _Darwins _erupted under the shimmering storm and vanished in clouds of flame tinged with green fire.

"This," Flit felt the Halo flash at the edge of his vision. For an instant, he saw four vessels angle away from the carnage and dash for the asteroid belt.

* * *

"What?" Milias felt the halo flash and turned to glance out the viewport.

"What is it, Milias?" Grodek asked.

"The Darwins are destroyed," Milias breathed, either from relief or awe at her own body's powers. "Wiped out. In an instant."

Grodek's eyes narrowed from behind his combat visor. "All forces, disengage from the assault and return to our designated formation. Minsry's defense corps can handle a few ragtag Genoace. If any offer to surrender, let them aboard."

"Stoller, have your men finished combing the field?" Grodek asked.

Stoller smiled, biting into his chocolate bar. "Just finished. And what's that about instantly destroyed _Darwins_? Didn't you just do that a second ago?"

"No time to explain," Grodek replied. "We're forming up. The attack on Ambat begins now."

* * *

**Bisidian Pirate Ship, **_**Darwin Stealth **_**class, **_**Nightengale**_

"I've seen some pretty amazing battles in my life," Angrazzo said slowly. "But I've never seen this before."

"Just when you think you've seen it all," his deputy captain agreed, combing back her pink hair. "What do we do, Ang?"

Angrazzo stared uneasily at the dark space where the mysterious beam volley had struck down the Federation ships. "Get out of here before we're noticed. Heck with supporting Ract from the sidelines. We delivered the Xynelda, that's enough for playing our part. Let's get out of here."

* * *

**Techno Solon Private space yacht, somewhere in Uzalt Debris Cluster**

"How demeaning," Eldas Drace said, his wrinkled face creasing even further as he scowled. "I certainly hope you have brought something worth my while to make up for this failure, Grandson."

Tyle swallowed and met his Grandfather's iron gaze. "I deeply apologize, but the fault is with Largan, he didn't bring the data we-

-_I _will decide who is at fault," Eldas snapped. "And I never told you to knife him. He is my heir, after all."

Tyle felt his eye twitch. "True, but his actions warrant you to reconsider that fact."

"I have lost both my sons to this world," Eldas replied. "We need to be on our toes, these UE mean business, and so do the Special Forces. Fardain taught me that. Stay on your toes, Tyle."

"I will," the younger Drace replied. "Forgive me, Grandfather."

"I already have," Eldas replied. Tyle reached for the transmission to cut it. "Oh, and Tyle," Eldas added.

Tyle looked up.

"Don't fail me again."

* * *

**Uzalt Debris Cluster, asteroid field**

Shrieking like an enraged bird, the monitor flashed to life, spraying Zanald Beihart with violet light. He yawned and glanced at the monitor, smiling at the armada of warships heading his way, the unmistakable arrow shaped _Diva, _first and only of its class, leading the charge, guns firing away at the slew of asteroids in its path.

Zanald noticed a white Gundam with a Wolf's head design painted onto its shield dash beneath his position. He grinned as he started up his Baqto.

_It's playtime._

* * *

_**Diva, infirmary**_

"Are you sure about this," Amy asked, holding Largan Drace down so he wouldn't get out of the sleep pod. "You were knifed by someone. You need to rest or you'll open the wound. You're lucky I got to you in time."

"I can't abide sitting here while a kid like Flit goes out there alone," Largan replied, pushing Amy away and stepping out of the sleep chamber. "I want a piece of those UE too for what happened to my home."

"I understand completely but that still doesn't change your condition. A punctured liver is a punctured liver. You could still die!" She snapped as he started for the door.

"Then I'm going down fighting." Largan pulled on his pilot's jacket and vanished into the hall.

"Men!" Amy hissed, smacking the side of the sleeping pod. They were all out there fighting, including her own brother. Perhaps it was time she pulled her weight.

* * *

"Flint," Lhuga yelled, soaring down in a cloud of her own exhaust, "We're being ambushed!"

Slamming the a DODS fist into a nearby rock, the Titus whirled up in front of an oncoming Gafran, desperately trying to hit it as the UE suit dashed between the asteroids for cover.

"I can see!" He yelled back sardonically, punching another rather massive rock away from the fleet. Cracks ran up its sides and it broke in a billowing cloud of chips and dust. A Baqto dashed out at him from the midst of it, beam talons sprouting from its chest. Flit fired a hail of beam fire from the holes in the Titus' knees, then slammed two beam Lariats into the Baqto's chest, smashing it in.

Woolf's G-Exes darted down past the _Diva _on its starboard side, cutting a massive rock in-two.

"Flint, watch the space rocks, they can do just as much damage as a missile!" Woolf called.

"Don't call me that!" Flit shouted back as he sent the Titus beneath the _Diva, _firing a virtual storm of beams from the Titus, breaking up a cluster of rocks. The Gafran shot overhead, firing its tail cannon into the _Diva's _bridge.

"Blast it! Can someone get that?" Flit yelled as the halo pulsed in the corner of his eye.

"On it," Fox said, Firing a stream of brilliant cannon shots over the bridge. The Gafran whirled down, cutting into the Genoace F's thick tan armor with its beam saber and through a storm of anti-MS fire from the _Diva's _guns.

It shot down at Flit, tail cannon drawn back like a scorpion stinger, beam sword ignited. Woolf's G-Exes swept down from the other side of the ship, ramming the UE suit away at the last second. Flit shouldered his way through a pair of large oblong boulders to find a pulsing green urchen-like thing floating toward him.

"Woolf! Fox! They have space mines!" Flit shouted, darting back and firing a pair of knee gun shots at the mine. It erupted in a storm of bright green light, incinerating everything within its blast radius. A second and third urchin mine appeared, the spines acting like springs, shouldering them through the debris.

"And they have homing devices!" Lhuga put in as she dashed down beneath the _Diva _near Flit, a pair of the mines hurling themselves after her. Flit swung a shoulder Gatling around and demolished the pair, only to gasp in surprise as one of the explosions tore a gap in the ship's underbelly.

Now ahead of the fleet, Fox angled his guns up at an approaching purple Baqto and fired, only for his quarry to disappear in the onrushing labyrinth of stone. An alarm beeped. Fox spun around and narrowly dodged the Baqto as it dashed up from the left, firing with its beam machineguns as it dashed into him. The blasts struck his Genoace F's armor, leaving dozens of glowing holes in the thick metal. The Baqto whirled around, transforming to rush in a blur at the Genoace F.

"I didn't know they could do that!" Fox cried as the Baqto transformed again, using its arms to pin down the Fox Cannons on the Genoace F's shoulders. Its chest cannon unleashed a pair of beam spears that forced the Genoace's hands from their sides even as the remaining three chest cannons began to glow.

Fox hit a switch on his control sticks, sending the two beam guns on his suit's hips around to face the Baqto's torso. He fired, but the Baqto kicked its feet back and front flipped overhead, activating its beam sword to slice off the Genoace F's head. Fox gunned the thrusters and lunged out of the way just in time to avoid damage, then noticed the horde asteroids bearing down on a collision course for the _Diva. _

"We got mines, Fox," Lhuga's voice warned over the comm.

"Not to worry," Fox smiled with a snort, tapping another control. The pair of four tube missile launchers on the suit's shoulders discharged a volley of missiles, Fox felt his body vibrate as the entire machine shuddered. The missiles corkscrewed into the mass of boulders and small pinpoints of glowing lights that were the mines, lighting up space.

The Purple Baqto descended again, this time both sabers ignited in its hand, both glowing an ominous indigo blue. Fox sent the Genoace F backward, unleashing a second barrage of missiles that converged into a rolling cloud of flame. Fox started to cheer, only to have his alarm bring up an image of the Baqto rushing up from below, a green counterpart beside it. The newcomer fired its beam machineguns, while the purple rushed up in its MA mode, five chest cannons pulsing with light.

"This is over," Zanald cackled, pressing a switch inside the cockpit of the Baqto.

Fox felt a cold sweat run down his cheek as black chords suddenly erupted from a pair of fake asteroids, entangling his suit's legs. Unable to move and being showered with fire, Fox angled all four guns at his foes and fired, sending forth four shining pillars of emerald light. The green Baqto wheeled away and was cut to pieces by Flit as the Titus muscled through the debris and buried its DODS fists into the Baqto's back.

The Purple Baqto was not to be undone however, and rose up out of the volley to send its beam sabers crashing down on the Fox Cannons, slicing them off cleanly at the hardpoints holding them to the shoulder armor.

Fox fired his beam guns, only to watch in disbelief as they turned into a green spray of sparks along the enemy machine's torso.

"Gotta love our tech," Zanald whooped, punching the Genoace F in the head as he fired the chest cannon. "Now burn." A red object hurtled into the Baqto, sending it flying into a nearby asteroid. "What the"-Zanald spun his Baqto around as a the Titus Gundam charged at him, firing a storm of beams from its knees and shoulders. A white mobile suit descended from above, a pair of gigantic sabers in each hand.

"Not happening!" Zanald barked, activating the beam sword on the tail cannon and sending his Baqto into a dizzying spin. Both Gundams darted away at the last second to avoid being sliced in half by the blade. Zanald fired the cannon then, sending stray beam bolts everywhere. One struck the G Exes in the leg, blowing the limb off.

As Woolf careened into a boulder, Zanald whipped the purple Baqto around and charged, grabbing his shoulder boomerangs and sending them flying back at the other suits just in case they attempted to follow. He grabbed the G-Exes and slammed it into another rock, then followed up with a punishing slam to its chest.

Gritting his teeth as he was thrown about in his pilot's seat, Woolf gunned the G-Exes' thrusters and pushed against he Baqto. The merciless face of the UE stared back, then suddenly dashed off back at the Titus as it rushed in.

"Um, guys?" Lhuga's strained voice called, "A little help?"

Inside the Titus, Flit glanced over to see the fleet a good distance away, Lhuga's G-Exes dashing around desperately to avoid being blown to smithereens by a horde of UE urchin mines. He moved to help, only to look back and see the Baqto rushing up.

Flit screamed as the impact slammed his head into the seat. The Titus hit an asteroid, it burst, wrapping it in stout wires. One of the boomerangs angled around in a flurry of violet light. Flit activated the red Gundam's beam armaments, slicing through the ropes with ease. The boomerang struck too quick however, cutting clean through the left shoulder armor.

Alarms flashed, and the limb detonated, spraying the Gundam with fire. The Baqto unleashed a barrage of kicks and punches, battering the Titus through a cluster of stones and into a gigantic asteroid lumbering up to meet them. Flit felt the rifles crack and give way like crushed nutshells against the stone. With a shudder, the console went dark.

* * *

"Get that Baqto!" Woolf yelled at Fox as he zigzagged through the debris cluster desperately. A hideous thing that looked like a flea rose up over the next piece of rubble on spindly legs and showered him with a stream of micro missiles. Woolf dove upwards, weaving expertly through the debris, firing down with a precision shot to blow the missile launcher away. A missile struck his remaining foot, blasting it off and sending him tumbling.

Woolf saw a boulder the size of the _Diva _flying at him. Suddenly, Don Boyage's Gala smacked several pieces of rock past and yanked the dazed Gundam out of the way.

"Thanks for the save," Woolf said, the cracks in his helmet visor where he slammed against the console.

"Don't mention"-Boyage broke off as both machines slowly turned their heads to see a mine-shaped object floating past, pulsing a myriad of colors. Both men looked out their viewports to see a trio of purple Gafrans in the distance far below to their left, above where Flit, Fox and the purple Baqto were engaged in an all-out brawl.

"Colony Busters," Boyage whispered. "I thought the debris field would-but the homing beacons!"

"No time to for this!" Woolf drew a beam longsaber and cut the homing beacon in-two.

"Grodek we have trouble," Boyage commed the _Diva._

"I have already detected it," Grodek replied, his voice grimmacing over the chat screen. "Find as many as you can and get them to the front of the fleet. We'll use them to blast a way through."

At that moment, one of the missiles unleashed a torrent of light and streaked forward, winding like a serpent through the debris.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

"Incoming!" Screamed Cory.

Grodek and the others watched a missile dash safely through the debris and disappear into the midst of the fleet. Grodek closed his eyes a tremendous flash sent the ships into a wild collision with the asteroids. When he opened them, Grodek saw an all too familiar mobile suit speeding for his bridge like an arrow from a bow.

* * *

Straining against the overwhelming strength of its opponent, the Titus flew into one asteroid after another in a wild grappling match with the Baqto; its boomerang orbiting the two for an opportunity to slash the Titus a killing blow.

Not far off, Fox got an idea and spun the Genoace F to let the incoming boomerang slice through the chords binding his machine. With a laugh, he fired off a series of missiles, vaporizing the spinning dagger. He looked down at his sensor board as it detected an enormous heat signature. Two colony buster missiles flashed right past him on either side, surrounding him in a blur of light exhaust.

"The fleet!?" He shouted in disbelief as he looked over to find it in total disarray, the asteroid field claiming more victims than the initial missile. "If another connects…" He searched about desperately while firing his full complement of missiles. Seeing what he was after, he boosted over and grabbed one of his Fox Cannons. Reconfiguring it into its gun mode, he aimed and fired a powerful green blast that streaked through the rubble and speared one of the colony busters, blowing it apart in a supernova reminiscent blast.

Covering his eyes, Fox looked down and beat his fist against the control panel. There was no stopping the other missile now.

* * *

"I don't like this ship anymore!" Decil laughed gleefully, his Zedas shooting easily through the anti-MS guns, spear-like nose pointed on a collision course for the _Diva's _bridge. "You guys should protect the ship more!"

He saw the green halo and dashed to the side at the last moment, just as a red, unusual looking Genoace dashed up, firing off a blast from a DODS rifle. Decil narrowed his eyes as he felt the halo flash again, giving him the sound of a young woman's frantic breathing from the bridge. So, they had another X-Rounder with them too. Maybe that was how they survived until now.

Transforming to MS mode, the Zedas streaked down at the Genoace, Decil giggling inside the cockpit as he drew back his sword for the kill.

* * *

**The**_** Diva**_

"Largan!" Milias Alloy screamed as she saw the red Genoace Custom fire its rifle at the Zedas, which veered away at the last instant. Breathing heavily, Milias commanded her arms to stop shaking from the fear of collision and death that pulsed outside the all to fragile hull of the ship. But they wouldn't. The halos flashed so much it made her peripheral vision look like a fire works show.

"Adams, lower the bridge," Grodek commanded.

"I've got four homing devices up front like you asked," Lhuga said over the Milias' earpiece.

Unable stop shaking, Milias began to breathe heavily. This was a desperate situation. Any slight misstep and it meant disaster. _Woolf where are you? _She straightened, it wouldn't matter if he or Flit were here. She couldn't rely on others like that. She had to be strong. But what could a comm. operator do, trapped on the bridge? She turned to look at Grodek's calm, composed face and felt her fear dissolve. She wanted to be like him.

_I will. _She cleared her mind and willed the halos away.

* * *

Largan Drace let out a pained gasp, trying not to cough in pain as his insides screamed in agony as if a piece of sharp rock was twisting itself between his ribs and tickling his liver. "Bring it," he said, staring the Zedas down as it rushed to meet him.

Largan's Genoace Custom had the Titus' armor in mind, sporting a pair of beam spikes in its knees and shoulders, as well as a DODS rifle that could be placed on a hardpoint over the shoulder. He had some grenades in the skirt armor at the hips, but he doubted that would be of any use. On the other shoulder was a beam longsaber, and Largan sure hoped his swordplay skills were up to dueling the Zedas as it dashed in, moving in erratic zigzags.

"Trying to fight like Woolf won't help you!" Largan shouted, firing his rifle to send the Zedas veering for the left, then right. "I've fought him in the simulator too much!" He dashed forward, swiping at the Zedas' arm with his longsaber. The blow sliced off the machine's arm, and the Zedas swung about as a pulverizing volley erupted from the _Diva's _guns. The blasts scored its armor, and the dark grey and tan UE suit transformed into its stingray mode and dashed off into the asteroid field.

"I did it," Largan breathed, the pain lanced through the core of his being, and he felt the blood drain from his face as the world went dark.

* * *

The second missile never made it to the fleet. Just as Ract was about to say his last prayer aboard the bridge of the _Horizon, _a powerful beam rifle shot speared the incoming missile, blowing the harbinger of doom away in a tremendous blast. Asteroids sent flying by the explosion totaled several _Sing-Lung _and one of his own _Chalcedony _class ships, but it was a fair trade for his life and that of the rest of the fleet. He looked at the direction of the shot to see a Vandera with a DODS sniper rifle at the rear of the _Diva, _its weapon still aimed at the dying remains of the missile's eruption.

"Get us in order!" Ract yelled at his captain. "Grodek's plan requires us to get as many asteroids as we can behind us!"

"The towing lines are all out and being attached," a bridge officer reported.

Ract glanced at a screen showing dozens of worker pods amidst the debris connecting the towing lines to as many large pieces of rubble that past by. He bowed his head solemnly at the brave souls willing to go out there in that mess. Dozens more worker pods, some the teal color of Zalam floated past, all squashed like pancakes.

"All for the plan," Ract thought. In the back of his mind, he wondered how in the world _that _machine survived the asteroid belt. He glanced out into the Uzalt Cluster. Somewhere out there was his destiny and its invisible guardian. He supposed of all the safe places to hide a treasure, this death field was it.

He only needed to get past Ambat to claim it. For an instant, he thought he saw a burning red mooneye appear on the other side of the viewport, amidst the colliding boulders. It flickered off.

Although Ract knew he shouldn't show weakness in front of his bridge crew, a shiver went up his spine.

* * *

**Space Fortress Ambat, control room**

Geera Zoi, in full ceremonial dress, stood with Arabel Zoi at his side in front of the holographic map displaying the battle in the asteroid field in full color. His bright eyes bored out of his masked face with bloodthirsty intensity as if he were hypnotized. To think the _Diva _would come so far so fast with its fleet. It was truly unthinkable.

Arabel glanced up with a deep canyon between his eyebrows, his young mind timidly staring up at the one person in the whole world he shouldn't have to fear. He looked back at the battlefield, searching through the ever shifting mass of rubble for Decil. "Father, shouldn't we be worried?"

The Technician at one of the controls ringing the purple-lit room turned to Geera at this. "Lord Geera, should we recall the _Fa Razas_?"

"No. If I had wished to recall them I would have done so," Geera said disinterestedly, his lip twitching as the purple Baqto of their newest recruit was sent running by a hail of pulsing green blasts. "So long as we have the _Splinter _and _Sahaden _with us we have no fear. Besides, all our available forces must be arrayed in case the dear Prime Minister Fonder does not do as he is told." He clinched his fists in fury, "By Ezelcant I pray he doesn't."

Arabel started fiddling with his fingers and watched in surprise as the Zedas began to retreat. "Decil's coming back," Arabel said, looking up at his father, whose burning eyes never left the _Diva _as it darted through the field.

"He lost his touch after his imprisoning," Geera muttered almost to himself.

Arabel looked away from his father. When he was told he could come to Earth with Geera, Arabel had jumped with joy. He feared the radiation poisoning, as all did. It killed his mother, a constant reminder that it might claim his or his father's life as well. He could see the ocean, a giant body of water bigger than he ever imagined, and teaming with life and mystery. But he hadn't set foot on Earth yet. Instead it was to the dark entrails of this abandoned fortress that his father sent him.

But it was not the disappointment of having to remain inside Ambat. It was his father. Geera Zoi changed when he arrived. People started saluting him like he were Ezelcant himself. He never played with Arabel anymore. No more ballgames. No more smiles. Geera no longer tutored Arabel himself, and instead a tightlipped instructor took his place to drill Arabel in every form of learning imaginable. There were still chess games, but Ambat's darkened halls sucked the joy and pleasure he used to find in them when he and Geera matched wits. Now the games were just another lesson, a painful one. Geera seemed to consider the strategy paramount as if Arabel's life depended on it. He would yell at him, threaten him with punishment if he did not increase his skill. Worst of all, was the change in his father's character. Geera Zoi's words and actions at all times seemed bent singularly upon obliterating the people of Earth as if they were savages. He never ceased to call them murderers. Arabel had never met his mother, and somehow he had the sickening feeling that if he had been given that privilege he would hate the people of Earth too. Was love that dangerous? He looked up at his father, the one he loved and now resented, and bit his lip.

No, Ambat had transformed Geera Zoi into a fanatic zealot for blood and war, not a father giving his son the dream every parent at Mars dreamt. And Arabel hated every second of it.

"We will welcome them with full force," Geera intoned, stretching his hand over the map as if all the people fighting and dying within its borders were mere pawns in his hands. "It feels like my hand is turned into a god's when I do this," Geera muttered, staring down at the field, "don't you agree, Arabel?"

Arabel frowned deeper and shrugged uncomfortably. Geera had never portended to being a god. Not before Ambat at least. "I don't know. It looks scary."

"Scary?" Geera turned to look down at his son. "Arabel, this is training. You must not be scared to look at a battle map. This is a rare system we have. Not all ships use them. When you command a ship of your own, you should learn to imagine this in your mind. But first, you need to see battle for what it is." He exhaled. "And this is the safest place."

"I know but I don't like feeling so helpless."

"But you are not," Geera said dourly, pointing at the _Diva _streaking near the edge of the field. It would soon be within striking range of Ambat. "This map is your chessboard"-he splayed his hand out across the field of battle-"the pieces move according to your design. I thought I taught you this."

"I'm sorry," Arabel looked down.

"Do not worry, my son," Geera said, his voice beginning to drip with menace, "you shall not have to fear the _Diva _for long. We are going to snuff out their pathetic, wicked lives right before your eyes."

"Sir!" A Technician called, "We are detecting that-

-I see," Geera raised a hand to silence the man as he and Arabel watched the _Diva _slink back under the fleet of ships as they approached. Klick after klick separating the fortress from the fleet shrank in seconds every time the holographs moved an inch. Arabel felt a sudden fear seize him. This wasn't a game or a show. They were out there, approaching.

"Stop shivering," Geera commanded Arabel, "Watch. Technician, order the _Splinter _to drop the umbrella and open fire at will." Even as he spoke, the _Fa Bose _materialized in the map and unleashed a full blast of fire at the enemy. The ships suddenly slowed and began to move either up or below. Geera's mouth dropped open as he saw a portion of the asteroid field sail from the rest of the rubble via towing lines attached to the enemy ships and fly straight at the _Splinter. _Even as the giant boulders endured a pummeling of beam fire, the fleet arrayed itself behind them and charged forward, deploying their mobile suits and unleashing waves of missiles.

The first asteroid, a giant thing nearly the size of the _Splinter, _slammed into the ship and sent it reeling back beyond the map's borders. The fortress shuddered.

"Those cursed people are just as treacherous as they are maniacal." Geera sneered. He turned to assure Arabel all was well, blinked when he realized the boy had shrunk back and left the control room.

* * *

**The _Diva_**

Grodek watched in satisfaction as the asteroids pummeled the enemy mothership and sent it flying back in slow motion to ram against the claw-shaped stone mountain that was Ambat. It looked so demonic, so fittingly cruel for a cruel, maniacal race of devious people who didn't deserve to be called human. Here, at Ambat, it would all end.

Grodek glanced at Milias' empty chair. It was a bad time for emotion to get in the way of battle. However, he really couldn't say anything. After all, this entire battle was emotion getting in the way of a man's life and better judgment.

* * *

Chest heaving as his body desperately attempted to cope with the pain, Largan Drace activated a painkiller and stabbed the needle into his arm. His Genoace Custom only needed to have its beam energy batteries refilled, and then he would return to the battle. This was it. The moment everyone aboard the _Diva _had been dreaming of since Grodek swore his intention to obliterate the UE over Fardain's ash-filled corpse. He lost his home when Aliston disappeared with Nora. It was finally time to get back at them. What would he do after this he didn't know.

Tyle Drace made it clear that the family would quite possibly kill Milias should a romance develop. That was something Largan just wouldn't do to her. Ever.

"Largan," he heard Milias' voice shout from the comm. "Get out of that mobile suit now."

"Speak of the devil," Largan cringed, even as Milias opened the hatch from outside and stooped to look inside at him, her eyes filled with worry.

"If you ever try to pull a stunt like that again," Milias said, she laughed but it turned into a cough, "I might never forgive you."

"You still might not," Largan muttered dully. If she knew what he had done, he might as well kill himself and do his cousin a favor. "I've got to go back out," he said after a moment, activating the hatch. Milias let out a cry and jumped off as the hatch sealed itself. "I'm so sorry." He deserved the wound. It kept his head clear.

"Largan, what's gotten into you?" Milias demanded over the speaker, her voice hurt, "That could have killed me! Answer me. Don't you realize you could get killed going out there?"

"Well, I might end up dead with this wound regardless so," he shrugged, even though he knew she couldn't see. "What's the point? We all need to do our share. I'm needed out there." He started the Genoace up and sent it toward the elevator.

"You've done enough," Milias pleaded from the catwalk. "Please, I don't want to lose another person. Nora, Tordia," Largan felt his heart break as he detected the signs trembling lips in her voice. She was crying? In all the years he knew here, Largan had never seen Milias break into tears, at least not with him. "Don't you realize you're needed here too? I need you. Alive and not dying inside a mobile suit, don't leave Largan!" She screamed at him desperately, realizing at last that he had no intention to stop.

"But I don't need _you_, Milias," Largan said, the words felt like he was spitting out sharpened knives fresh from a whetstone. He caught his heart in his throat and forced it back down. The elevator stopped and the Genoace rocketed out of the deck, activating its beam saber to slice away passing rubble. "Go back to your post." He felt his own eyes moisten, but he tightened his hands around the controls and threw up every last bit of willpower he possessed. He didn't want to do this. Not to her. It wasn't supposed to end this way. It wasn't. _Damn you Tyle. _He didn't know how he managed, but he keyed off the transmission and silenced Milias voice as she begged him one last time.

"I lo"-Largan pressed on the thruster and sent the Genoace racing through the rock and into open space, watching tiny pieces of debris smack against the Genoace Custom's torso and helmet visor. _I love you too. _

He gunned the throttle again, rolling into a barrel roll as the purple Baqto exploded through an asteroid, raining splinters everywhere as it transformed into its dragon mode and surged forward.

* * *

"You have to stop him," Milias said, her voice more desperate than Flit had ever seen it. "Please Flit."

Flit Asuno stared down at the monitors and the woman they showed standing on the gantry, looking as if her world had just fallen apart. He knew what that face looked like all too well. "But Largan is a pilot," Flit started, not sure what to say. "He's had more training than me, and now that the Genoace is upgraded-

-He's wounded. He could be bleeding internally again if the patch doesn't hold up," Milias yelled into her earpiece.

"Alright I'll get him back," Flit said hastily, not liking the frantic look in her eye. "I promise, Milias."

"Flit, the Spallow is all ready," Vargas announced."

"Was it upgraded?" Flit asked. "Is that why you had it held back at Minsry?"

The older man on the other end of the screen shrugged. "No, the AGE System wanted to run a diagnostics check on it. I tried to figure out what went wrong, but that idiot Dique kept pestering me, trying to show me what he'd learned or something. Anywho, it's ready and attaching now." Even as Vargas spoke the bionic arms on the mobile suit brace refitted the limbless Gundam torso with the Spallow Wear. Milias darted off the gantry and into the hanger as the catwalk slid aside and the brace clamps released. Flit looked down at the yellow auxillery screen as the Spallow dashed for the elevator. He looked to the side as the Titus parts entered into the AGE Builder for a good repair. He'd not be able to pull as much weight out in the fight, but at least he could find and finish his rivalry with the Zedas-no-with Decil Galette once and for all. He commanded that tingling space in the back of his head to activate, sending the blue halo before his eyes in wave after wave of green light.

He had total command now. The asteroids had nearly broken him, the purple Baqto come close to crushing the Titus. But now he had full control of his X-Region and the powers it offered thanks to those trials. He felt his powers wash over the battlefield, pick out the enemy movements like radar. As the Spallow dashed into the asteroids, he corkscrewed and zipped through with almost reckless ease. Cory gasped in surprise from the comm., awed at his deft skill. _I did it, Yurin. This power you showed me is mine now. I promise I'll avenge you. The Zedas won't hurt anyone anymore. _

A slow smiled burned across his face as the Spallow whipped out its Shiguru blade and hurtled into the battlefield. With these powers, nothing the UE could throw at him would stop him from dealing righteous vengeance to these demons of outer space.

* * *

**Vagan _Fa Bose _class battleship, _Nidhogg, _Earth orbit**

Was this how his brother felt when going into battle? Wondered Zeheart Galette from the confines of his Gafran as the mechanicians scurried about prepping his machine. He felt proud of his shiny new Gafran, straight from the hangers back at Mars and in prime condition. Unlike most of the other reinforcements, this Gafran had come fresh off the assembly line, with a glossy new coat of deep blue paint. Zeheart loved the color, and wondered if he could pull off Zanald's bet that he could get through his first battle without scratching it.

Zeheart's mind roved over the combat systems. He didn't like the things his instructor had told him. Ezelcant had told him he didn't have to fight, but the instructor said he was making excuses and warned him that he would never see his brother again if he didn't. He didn't realize battle was so mean. Not that Zeheart was unaccustomed to mean things. Back in the alleys, a day never went by that he did not see death. Knifed people were even taken away to the brewery sometimes, when a magnetic storm rippled across the colonies and left the food poisoned or destroyed a farm module. He choked another girl once, with white hair like his own. But after three days of starvation with only a teaspoon of water in between, it was mercy for the loser. After all, she would have starved to death slowly otherwise.

The memories brought tears to Zeheart's eyes. He never enjoyed that life. He rarely went out to raid the other kids when they got charity or food. It was always Decil who took the knife and left, coming back with the meal to feed his little brother. Decil had kept Zeheart alive. He was always the strong one, the one who taught Zeheart how to survive. It was only when the priests took him away and Zanald stepped in to bully Zeheart did he finally start fighting for his food in earnest.

But these people weren't hungry. They weren't. They didn't need to die. Even now, Ezelcant was preparing to make a speech of their plans to migrate to Earth and apologize for the killings as nothing more than a terrorist movement. Surely _he, _the kind man who promised Zeheart a family, did not want to kill either. But the instructors refused to listen. Now he sat here, waiting to see if the people of Earth were really the demons the instructors and priests said they were.

Zeheart didn't believe it. He believed the priests were mean. The people of Earth who made the big eye called Angra Zenon to stop the Martians from coming home were all gone or weren't everyone. They just didn't understand or maybe didn't know that kids like him were at Mars at all. They weren't all monsters, he didn't believe it. So he sat inside his cockpit and refused to be scared, waiting for Earth's answer.

* * *

**Fortress Ambat**

Cloaking the destruction in a cloud of dust and sparkling ice crystals, the giant asteroid rolled across the inside of Ambat's bulk, crushing weapon installations, cramming docking bays with debris, demolishing missile platforms that set blazing fires across the surface of the fortress like candles. The _Splinter, _recovered, unleashed a meteor shower of saffron cannon fire against the onslaught of a legion of missiles and asteroids, creating a seething downpour of fire and liquefied rock that matted the hull of the Vagan battleship and cooled quickly, making the ship look as if it had been splashed with mud.

Flit sliced a Gafran in-two and spiraled deftly away from a second as it flashed past, firing its cannons to obliterate two Xenos and an Elmeda. Flit dashed up to meet the Gafran, dodging thousands of rock shards flashing past in a silent avalanche in the black vacuum of space. A flea-like missile pod dashed from the left and peppered the blue Gundam with missiles before Lhuga Kat's G-Exes swept past, blasting it apart with a rifle shot.

Spinning about, the Gafran fired a spray of beam fire from its hands and shot a chest cannon beam at Lhuga, who spun out of the way and in between a brawl Woolf was having against two Gafrans, one painted a startling green and fuchsia. Righting the Gundam as a boulder slammed it out of the way of the incoming barrage of beam fire, Flit dashed into the face of the Gafran and arced over its head, spinning around to impale the cockpit right through the back of its head. Flit dashed into the Gafran, pushing in the way of a massive beam cannon shot from an installation on the skiny tip of one of Ambat's stone wing-like spikes.

He dashed aside at the last instant, letting the Gafran blow away to stray particles and fired some needles into a passing Zedas as it ripped open a Zila with its sword, a straight, black blade unlike Decil's twisted weapon of choice. The Zedas wept around, transformed into its mobile armor form and dashed away, spinning around to unleash a scattercannon blast. Flit weaseled through and stabbed, kicked the parrying blow away and spun kicked the Zedas in the chest. The enemy dashed around behind the Spallow. Flit spun and locked blades with the machine just as a swarm of missiles hammered into the Zedas' back. The UE lurched past the Spallow, a DODS rifle shot from a Xeno drilled into the thruster between its legs and blew the lower half of its torso apart. Flit dashed forward and unleashed a needle storm into its face, spearing the pilot's shoulder and torso inside with the long spikes. Flit dashed back, whipping through a tornado of beam shots and mobile suits as a squadron of Zila and Xenos frantically tried to drive back four Gafrans.

Lunging up with tail sword ignited for a killing stab, a Baqto swept up to surprise Flit as a swirling pair of DODS rifle blasts shot by, a Xeno nearly clipping the blue Gundam's shoulder as it dashed past with beam saber drawn back to avenge a fallen Zila torn to shreds by a Gafran. Flit turned the Spallow to the side, jetting past at full speed and turning to firing its DODS rifle behind its back at the Baqto. A Zila lunged into the path as it frantically somersaulted over a volley of beam machinegun fire and blew apart in a tornado of glowing shrapnel and flame. The Baqto lurched after Flit, transforming into its dragon form and easily zipping through a storm of beam shots. A DODS rifle blast struck its shoulder armor, only for a beam coating to flash into existence and absorb the glowing drill. A blue flash blinked past, and the Baqto bisected and disappeared as a smoking Xeno fell into it and erupted. Down below, Flit hit the brakes and glanced up at the explosion to observe his handywork, then turned and darted away from the swirling dogfight as a glowing storm of UE missiles dashed into the fray and turned it into a shimmering graveyard of fireballs.

Flit dashed further into the battlefield, passing through a field of asteroids moving slowly toward the cornered _Splinter, _the _Rafflesia _leading the charge with a torrent of firepower from its guns and dozens of Shipsinkers blazing out like comets into the orange _Fa Bose's_ hulking frame.

* * *

**Earth Sphere New Mazatlan Isle, Brucia City Senate Building, Prime Minister's Office**

A strong northern breeze blew across the peaceful waters of the Pacific Blue; seagulls hovered in place in the air at the shoreline, scanning the water for fish. The waves crashed against the white sandy beaches outside the glass windows of Prime Minister Cedrick Fondor's quiet office. A sliding door stood open, letting the breeze sneak in to tickle the white silk curtains. A pair of massive palms waved freely in the breeze beyond the doors, rising up far above the bamboo wood deck to provide shade from the sun blazing high and fearless in the noonday sky, where a growing parade of white clouds streaked past.

Fondor sat upon his high-back chair, dressed in the grey and black uniform of the Prime Minister, his elbow on the polished white marble desk, staring into the grass-green veins in the cold stone. A pear-shaped crystal glass filled to the brim with mimosa sat nearby, rippling in time with Fondor's tapping fingers as they played with a paper thin tablet. A well built man of forty nine but looking not a day over thirty, Cedrick did not look like quite as regal as the picture of his grandfather on the wall. But it was this youthful, congenial image that once again placed the Fonder family in complete control of the Federation his ancestor's Silver Chalice Treaty created after putting an end at last to the bloody reign of Issishar Ezelcant's imperialist Axis Federation.

Sighing, as his mind finally made itself up, he exhaled again and ran his fingers through his hair, slicked back in the popular style made famous by the current celebrities. This latest news of the renegade Grodek Ainoa's assault on Ambat was causing him to rethink his deal with the Vagans. Not that he actually meant to follow through with the plan regardless of the mutineer's laughable efforts, but it helped reinforce his misgivings.

A man stepped onto the room's bamboo floor, quickly moving to the desk where Cedrick reclined. The Prime Minister quickly buttoned up his uniform, which he'd opened at the collar to stave off the heat and sat up straighter in his chair. His aid de camp, Amadis Largo swept into the room, his young face set in a scowl, accentuating his sharp nose and brown eyes, which glowered down at their boss as the younger man placed his hands on the other end of the desk. "You are two minutes behind schedule, Minister." In contrast to Cedrick's black hair, the Latino's hair burned orange and red thanks to genetic tampering by an adventurous mother who wanted her son to become a singer idol. As far as Cedrick was concerned, his aide chose a much more profitable line of work. No one but Amadis kept him on his toes more.

"I don't think I have any announcement to make," Cedrick said, lacing his fingers. "Do you _really _think it's a good idea to become Fezarl Ezelcant's puppet?"

"We both know what the Mars Plan was meant for. And the Vagan can throw serious dirt in our faces if they inform the media what our Special Forces have been up to."

"Yeah well I don't want to give that Martian any time to scheme about a War of the Worlds. We might be looking at that regardless of what we say."

"Overlord Ezelcant seems reasonable," countered Amadis, eyeing Cedrick's glass of mimosa.

"He's the father of that crazy bitch who nearly turned our world into a nuclear waste area. Remember that the reason why Central and North America are separate continents is because Issishar's Axis Federation wanted to prove what their giant fucking railgun could do. It's the reason why New Mazatlan is even here. And why the North American Eastern Archipelago is an archipelago."

"Your point?"

Cedrick exhaled. "My point," he sat up and leaned forward from the chair, "Is that the man birthed the antichrist. That girl had to get her psycho Mongol tendencies somewhere, and it wasn't her mother." He jerked a thump at the window, in the direction of the giant pair of pylons towering into the heavens, honoring the formation of the Twin Pillars Federation, beneath which sat the smaller series of three broken monuments symbolizing the Axis Federation. Each obelisk bore a circle depicting the Earth in red marble with a different country on the surface and constellation of colonies. Barred from the history books, this was all that remained of the Axis Federation for the people of the AG calendar to see. That, and the reshaped continents.

"Well, it's not Issishar we're dealing with," Amadis said. "You do realize that, don't you, Cedrick?"

"I know," Cedrick's grin took on a crooked aspect. Smiling contentedly, the Prime Minister sipped his glass of mimosa and enjoyed the Pacific breeze.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon, Overlord's Palace**

"Aren't you going to make your speech now, Father?" Issishar asked, sipping a glass of red wine as she lounged on a sofa, legs crossed as she viewed a holoscreen depicting Brucia City's Public Address platform. The _empty _public address platform. Smiling like a smug cat, Issishar stretched and looked upside down at Fezarl Ezelcant as his trembling hands held up a picture of his son Romy. Ezelcant had been enduring severe attacks from his illness, and nearly died only hours before in a massive attack. Only his iron willpower allowed him to be standing here in his own palace and not in an infirmary. That and several banished doctors trying to detain him for his own sake.

"Fondor has yet to make his introductory speech," Ezelcant muttered, eye still glued to Issishar's brat of a brother.

"No, I mean the _other _speech. The one _I _liked."

"That one," Ezelcant turned slowly, his face one of total defeat. "I want to wait a little bit longer. He might be having some internal political squabbles to tie up."

"Then he better hurry up and quash them," Issishar said, opening her mouth and expertly pouring the wine in a crimson stream into her mouth without letting the glass touch her lips. "If I were you, I would assume he's not coming."

"Don't assume too much," Ezelcant countered, already tapping the holoscreen to prepare for the speech. He felt Issishar's eyes on him and looked over his shoulder to see her smirking at him, eyes half lidded.

"I'm waiting."

"I wanted you there in case it came to war. Geera doesn't have the tactical ability to execute a scheme like this."

"Oh, don't worry. If Blue Fall goes wrong, I'll be heading out immediately," Issishar assured her father with a playful smile. She uncrossed her legs and stared at the screen in anticipation. Why would she go herself now, when she could sit back, relax, and watch the bloodbath begin?

* * *

**Earth Sphere New Mazatlan Isle, Brucia City Public Address platform**

A government worker stepped up to the mike and announced to the very large crowd standing in the open lawn before the platform that the emergency speech the Prime Minister called was now canceled. Like a school of sharks in a feeding frenzy, the reporters dashed forward, jostling and fighting each other to reach the worker before he left. The man was too smart and too fast for them, dashing away behind a blue curtain beneath the stone mural depicting the ancient Roman Senate building.

Just as the reporters and crowd of agitated and angry spectators began filtering from the speech grounds, a hooded man in a Fire Priest cowl stepped out from amidst the crowd and tossed something against the base of the platform. A holograph flickered life.

The crowd stopped in the tracks and turned around to see the imposing form a man dressed in unusual robes with long salt and peppered black hair and long nose. Fezarl Ezelcant spread his arms to encompass the plaza. The reporters whipped up their cameras, there would be breaking news after all.

"Greetings People of Earth. I am Overlord Ezelcant, Supreme Leader of the people of the Mars Sphere. I regret to appear before you bearing ill tidings of intrigue, betrayal and death. But fate chose my message for me. Perhaps you are thinking 'this is impossible, astronomers tell us that Mars is abandoned'. I tell you the truth, the lost of Mars still breathe. The Mars Plan was not quite the disaster your history books tell you. Indeed, they lie. We are the lost of Mars, still here, still alive."

* * *

**Fortress Ambat, the _Diva_**

"Captain! I'm picking up a global alert transmission," Onette Cory exclaimed for her station. "It's designated as…'Vagan'."

Grodek frowned in confusion at first, then suddenly his face grew very disturbed. A Gafran dashed near the _Diva, _but the anti-MS cannons blasted it away. "Tap into the frequency and put it on speaker, Cory."

She obeyed, and moments later Ezelcant's voice rung clear and true into the bridge from the speakers by each console."…I come to you today, bearing scars of great loss. We were long trapped within the confines of Mars, fighting for survival as our very humanity was stripped away day by day. But the prison the Federation set up and the lies they have fed you to this day is at long last crumbled! We have broken free. Broken free to reveal to you, the people of Earth, the treachery of your leaders. Even now, the UE are but a guise, a guise to hide the true culprits. People of Earth, the Federation Special Forces, a unique force dedicated to the task of exterminating what the Federation calls 'surplus population', is even at this moment assaulting he colony Minsry! This is what the Federation thinks of its citizens!"

* * *

Flit dashed to the side as asteroids blew apart and filled the area with dust clouds and avalanches of shrapnel. A _Sing-Lung, _belching flame, sailed down past him, a torrent of fire from a pair of dueling machines forcing Flit to dart about desperately. He was blinded by the debris, but his powers were not. When he felt the familiar pulse in his head, he spun the Spallow around and blocked a vicious horizontal slash from Decil's Zedas. The machine rocketed around and Flit sent his Spallow into a dizzying spin, firing his DODS rifle at his enemy as Decil transformed the Zedas into its stingray form and rocketed down to him at blinding speed. Flit darted away from a Gafran, slicing off its tail as it passed by, then used the needle guns to blast away a storm of micro missiles from another one of those attack pods.

Then the Zedas was on him, slashing, hacking, flying back to pummel him with a scattercannon shot that made Flit feel as if a rain of comets were battering him. Alarms blared, the Zedas dashed to the right and drew its wicked blade back for a killing stab, visor lighting up with a deadly flash of golden light from the machine's thrusters.

"…This is the nature of the Federation's Operation Cleansing, dear people of the Earth Sphere. Nothing less than an evil-no-demonic master plan to slaughter you! But I have a ray of hope to bring you, people of Earth. We, the civilization of Vagan, born in the harsh climates of Mars, came across a space vessel known as the _Vega. _Within this ship, we found power to topple your cruel oppressors. A piece of the data lost after the Silver Chalice Treaty!"

"Who is that?" Flit screamed as Decil kicked him back and spun down at him, saffron beam saber slashing a tear right across the Gundam's face, then rocketed back and unleashed a storm of fire to send the incoming Zila and Xenos dashing for cover. The Zedas rocketed back even as Flit desperately focused his powers and sent the Gundam into a headlong charge. The mobile suits clashed and flew back; the blue Gundam into hailstorm of firepower between the _Splinter _and _Rafflesia, _the Zedas into the tumbling pieces of the giant asteroid.

"It appears the head of the UE has revealed himself to us," Ract Elfamel called, his Elmeda, bearing the Xynelda on its back, dashed through the debris and stabbed at the Zedas with its beam lance. Decil dashed up and kicked the Elmeda back, its foot slamming into the other machine's head. The Zedas roared forward, but the Elmeda dashed downward, while the Xynelda remained to stab two more lances at the Zedas. Decil dodged, while the lances turned into beam cannons and raked the asteroids with fire. Slots opened on the back of the insectoid machine, sending a wave of missiles toward Decil, who blew them into stray atoms with his machineguns before backflipping over the Elmeda and sliced off its sword arm with a sulfurous beam saber. Ract screamed as Decil moved backwards, unleashing a full powered beam from the Zedas' chest cannon. The Xynelda rocketed up, its back serving as shield to deflect the blast.

The Zedas transformed and dashed from the debris.

"…We have gained great power to level the Federation," Ezelcant's voice was saying, "we have come to free the people of Earth from the tyrannical monsters who dare call themselves men. We are Vagan, returning from Mars to avenge the dead and slay our oppressors. And now! Watch as the sky falls on you, Brucia!"

Flit shook his head of the man's words ringing in his ears and jetted through the flashing storm of fire, trying not to let the blazing light sear his eyes. The Zedas rocketed out of the spinning asteroids, drew back its sword and unleashed a river of light from its engines. Flit pressed the thruster to the floor. The two mobile suits, now blurs of light, charged as their pilots screamed. The gold and blue comets met in a flash of light.

"…I now declare war on the Federation of the Earth Sphere! For Peace! For life! For Justice!"

* * *

Ezelcant's image in Brucia spread its hands upward toward the sky. "For both the living…and the dead."


	13. Chapter 13 A Flash of Sorrow

_**Chapter thirteen A Flash of Sorrow **_

**February 27****th****, AG116-Mars Sphere Second Moon, Overlord's Palace**

Glancing down the hallway to make sure no one was watching, Issishar Ezelcant smirked to herself and slipped around the corner, her slippers making no more noise than a cat. It took the better part of three minutes and her father being escorted by determined physicians after another of his attacks to pry herself away from the monitor detailing the frantic little battle going on around Ambat. But this simply had to be done. She could not afford to waste one chance. Her father sick away at the infirmary was one such chance.

"Oh Father, you never learn." Issishar purred as she rounded a corner, deftly moving to another room just as a mechanized guard clanked past. An Overlord like Ezelcant must have powerful little secrets hidden about the palace, and Issishar had found every last one of his useful toys. The most potent of which was his Magneto Interceptor, a marvelous little contraption that read the unique magnetic signals released by the X-Region as they passed through the neuroglia. This was why Issishar was more powerful than one of those silly degenerate X-Rounders. Her powers were properly filtered through a different system than the other signals in the brain, which flowed primarily through the neurotransmission cells. From what she understood, these X-Rounders could get their critical thinking skewed from having the signals in their brains crossed when their powers activated. _Such lowborn mutants._

She plopped into the seat of the MI and put her fingers on the control pad, a faintly glowing outline of a human hand. She only got one previous session with the Vega Database files. She wanted to see if any of the special bioorganic cell research had been saved after the Silver Chalice purge of technology. She needed a body that would last, considering how current affairs stood. Sadly, most of the technology was gone, except for some few snippets of cryptic research revolving around Nanos-zsells, useless for _her_ needs.

This time she was here to explore what weapons could possibly be at her disposal. She might not be able to live forever thanks to the miracles of science, but she could speed along this silly little war and get herself back where she belonged in the world. With a flick of her power, she dove into the database.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Fortress Ambat**

The blue Spallow Gundam rattled under a brutal thrust from the Zedas' jagged sword. Inside the black and tan mobile suit, Decil Galette laughed hysterically as he pushed his machine to its limit. Inside the Spallow, Flit sent the Gundam into a somersault, slashing with its Shiguru blade as he passed. The Zedas knocked the slash away with its beam saber and peppered an incoming Xeno with machinegun fire, obliterating it in a shower of flaming shrapnel.

Cursing under his breath, Flit tried to keep the apparition of Decil's cackling head out of his field of vision, but the apparition refused to disappear. Flit didn't have time to ponder the oddity his and Decil's X-Rounder powers were playing on them. With a scream, Flit dashed away from the charging Zedas and wound his way through a storm of fighting mobile suits, flying up elegantly between them, he stopped the Spallow in a spiral of blue exhaust and drew his DODS rifle. The targeteting reticle fell upon the Zedas as it roared up through the battle. Flit saw the halo and fired a moment later, to the Zedas' right even as the black machine dashed in that direction. Decil however, sensed the incoming blast and sped up, narrowly dodging the beam but getting caught by a saber blow from a fellow Gafran flailing against a pair of Zila.

Seeing his chance, Flit dove at full speed, slashing at the Zedas' shoulder. Decil transformed the Zedas and rushed out of the dogfight, sending up a storm of beam blasts from his chest scattercannon. Flit rushed after him, the Spallow moving at incredible speed. Decil giggled and unleashed a shield breaker blast from its beam cannon. The Spallow dodged it instantly, a blue blur. Flit slammed against the seat by the sudden change in direction. Hissing, he sent the Spallow spiraling backward, fired off a couple shots from its needle guns as the Zedas rushed up, beam saber and sword raised for a second aggressive attack.

Flit sent the Spallow at the Zedas, willing the vision of a grinning Decil away. The Shiguru blade descended, the Zedas transformed and rocketed underneath the Gundam, transforming with a spin, coming up with its blade ignited. Flit dashed above the strike, then down back again even as the Zedas hurled at him with a diagonal slash from its sword. The two machines went into a circle. Flit growled at the UE machine as it glared back at him, visor igniting as it suddenly transformed into its stingray form and sped at him. Flit darted beneath the strike, then came back up with a knee to the Zedas' lower torso, firing off a full load of needles into the enemy. The blows seemed to do something to the Zedas, which dashed backward, but not with the same overwhelming speed as before.

So those panels were his thrusters. "Now it's even," Flit roared, lunging at the enemy. Decil tilted the Zedas to the side, letting the Shiguru sail by, then whipped around, sending its foot crashing into the Spallow with a bone-jarring smack. Flit wrestled with the controls, getting the Spallow to spin around and block another hack from the Zedas, which expertly dashed away, fired a blast from its chest cannon before roaring back, unleashing a ruthless series of sword swings. Right, left, right, diagonal, lateral, right, horizontal, a final bisecting strike, then it was dashing around, flanking him once again.

"No you don't!" Flit yelled, spinning the Spallow around and firing off a rifle shot straight at the Zedas' head. The enemy transformed under the blast and transformed again into a kick. Flit nimbly grabbed the extended leg and threw it aside, slashing the Zedas' skirt armor as it passed.

"Oh, I did teach you how to counter that didn't I?" Decil laughed. "Great job Flit! But I'm still not gonna lose." The Zedas came up, firing its machineguns.

Flit tried to dodge, but the saffron blasts tore away the Gundam's thigh armor on its right leg.

"You don't have to do this Decil!" Flit yelled, trying to make the child see reason.

"Let's have some more fun!" Decil laughed spiraling down at him, the Zedas' sword flashing into its hand.

Suddenly a white blur streaked into view, nearly slashing the Zedas in half. Flit looked up in surprise to see Woolf Enneacle's face on the screen. "If the brat wants a fight let's give it to him," he said as the G-Exes crouched and sprang at the Zedas.

Flit gunned the Spallow forward and dashed around to flank the black machine. Decil cackled as he ignited both beam sabers and charged.

* * *

Hissing, the hatch ponderously opened to reveal the shadows of the cockpit within. Below the waiting Farsia, two workers finished securing a rose-colored helmet about Yurin L'Ciel. The girl trembled uncontrollably, terrified to think of what they were going to do. She had an idea, but the fear of an even worse fate if she resisted paralyzed her limbs with fear. She knew the fear of combat, and that wasn't what scared her. It was who she might meet out there in that storm of fire.

"Wait!" Shouted a boy's voice. Yurin and the two soldiers looked around to find Arabel Zoi as he barreled into the feet of one of the workers, knocking her down. Arabel spun around, lashing out against the remaining soldier, who stared back in dismay.

"Lord Arabel, what are you _doing_?" The woman asked, taking a tentative step forward. "Calm down."

"Arabel," Yurin said, recovering some of her courage now that she was free. "They're trying to put me into that machine! Where's Yark Dole?" She glanced around fearfully, stepping away from the other soldier as she stood up, reaching for her firearm.

"My father sent him away. Father wants to use you as a weapon for Decil to beat the Gundam. You had a friend in the Gundam, right? You have to run!" The soldier in front of him lunged forward, grabbing Arabel and holding him down even as the second worker drew the pistol and leveled it off at Yurin's head.

Two guards in normal suits rushed into the bay, their own guns raised. Yurin took one look at them before darting for a pile of crates, her eyes wide like a hunted animal. Panic drove all thought away. Arabel's warning was like doom in her ears. But one of the guards caught her and dragged her back, even as she thrashed wildly. But the suits had padding and she couldn't do a bit of harm, not even a bruise.

"Tark, Eli, get her inside the Farsia," one of the workers commanded. One of the guards hesitated, but finally took hold of Yurin and began to drag her toward the catwalk.

"Don't!" Screamed Arabel, breaking free of his captor. Just as he reached Yurin as she struggled in front of the Farsia, a firm, powerful hand grabbed his neck and spun him around. Geera Zoi was there, eyes burning with rage. The boy felt his knees wobble as he cowered beneath his father's enraged face.

"What do you think you're doing?" Geera demanded, his hand whipping out to slap Arabel across the cheek. "I saw you left the control room to do—this!?"

"I-I," Arabel gave up and shut his mouth as he looked back to see Yurin deposited inside the Farsia's cockpit. All hope left him of saving her then as he put his hand to the stinging side of his face.

On the other side of the mobile suit's armor, Yurin sat in the pilot's chair as the controls powered up of their own will. She couldn't hear anything but the frantic pounding of her heart as she breathed faster and faster. A tingling, electric pop sounded inside her head, and suddenly she could feel five distinct objects at the back of the mobile suit. A screen indicating the Farsia was online lit up. She glanced at the panoramic monitor as the Farsia floated upwards, staring into Arabel's wide-eyed face beside a satisfied Geera.

Desperately trying to calm her breathing before the plunge into the battle, Yurin L'Ceil watched as the Farsia reached a hatch, it hissed open sharply. Outside, two Gundam-faced machines were crossing blades desperately against the Zedas. From one she felt a familiar pulse of recognition; Flit Asuno.

Her worst nightmare realized at last, Yurin screamed as the Farsia launched into battle.

* * *

_**Fa Raza **_**class battleship, **_**Kestrel, **_**en route to Fardain**

A scream tore through his mind, jolting Yark Dole Briar awake, his hands clawing at the bedcover under him. He struggled up out of his bed, his head ached from the stun blast his efforts to escape Geera Zoi's men awarded him. The scream echoed again. "Yurin," Yark thought aloud, touching his fingers to the side of his head.

"_You're going to let her die," _a voice chided inside his consciousness.

Yark shook his brother's haunting words out of his skull and slipped on his mask as he made for the door. He was a priest. They could not keep him locked in here now that Geera was gone.

"Not yet," he told the specter.

* * *

**Little Ring, Earth orbit**

A Federation _Darwin _class unleashed a desperate salvo of missiles and pink tinted beam fire as the flock of Gafrans charged through the first defensive line, blasting apart asteroids studded with beam cannon installations. Mines flew at the lead Gafran, exploding with enough force to jelly the insides of the pilot. Burnt and spitting sparks, the Gafran drifted head over heels behind its fellows, where it finally imploded.

Zeheart took note of his leader's fate as he dashed amidst the storm of mines flying in all directions. He fired off a long burst of beam fire from the Gafran's palms, all the while rushing forward, dodging fire in a nauseating, desperate charge toward the glowing circular disk of Little Ring. The tortuous route through the endless slough of firepower took two more Gafrans from the squadron of nine, leaving Zeheart and his five companions alone. Narrowing his eyes, Zeheart gunned his loyal steed forward, firing more salvos of beam fire into a pair of red Genoace, both of which disappeared in blossoming explosions.

A tingling sensation raced up his spine. Zeheart spiraled down, he knew it was down because the sickening tug of gravity grabbed and jerked his stomach to his toes. Whimpering against the discomfort, he scanned the space above to find a blue Genoace Custom dashing at him, beam rifle aiming for a perfect shot at his head. A fellow Gafran swept in from the right. Faster than Zeheart could see, the blue machine whipped the Gafran around by its extended arm and stabbed it with a beam saber to the defuse emmiter on its chest. The blue Genoace kicked the sparking Gafran away as it exploded and dashed down after Zeheart, undeterred. A second of Zeheart's wingmates roared down from behind, only for the Genoace to let lose several combat flares into its face, spin around and slam its rifle just under the Gafran's neck as it charged through the bursts of light. It fired, and Zeheart caught his heart in his throat as the Genoace continued at him with a beam saber and heat stick drawn, black against the fiery silhouette of the Gafran's burning remains.

Then Zeheart saw the green halo cloud his vision. When it cleared, he saw the path ahead blocked by a barrage of beams from Little Ring's powerful cannons. Elegantly dancing through the blasts just like in the simulator, Zeheart continued to watch the blue mobile suit warily as it dodged through a storm of machinegun fire from the other Gafrans. The assault from the station separated Zeheart from the Genoace, so he turned his attention back to Little Ring. With his wingmates gone, it was up to him to attack the station by himself. The fear racing up his spine sent the halo up again. Zeheart felt his hands and feet jerking the controls wildly out of instinct. The Gafran darted forward all the faster, Zeheart screaming in fear as the Gafran did the impossible and made it safely through the barrage.

Panels retracted and slid back along the pale sky blue hull of the spaceport station, revealing hundreds of anti-MS guns that opened fire with a flash. Suddenly the world was a web of beams. Zeheart shrieked in dismay, throwing the Gafran forward instead of back. By sheer luck, his mistake saved him, pushing the Gafran through the single opening in the barrage. A massive pair of beams flashed up at him, Zeheart somersaulted under and over them, transforming into the Gafran's MA mode with a screech of claws on the metal of the station's side. He spun the Gafran around, slicing clean into the beam cannon. Raising the Gafran's palms, he unleashed a torrent of fire into the anti-MS guns even as two dozen of them or more rose from their slots to take aim at Zeheart's Gafran. They disappeared in his volley of firepower, sending up a pillar of light that blinded Zeheart for a moment. When it disappeared he saw half of the turrets in front of him blown away.

Not wasting a second to revel in his victory, Zeheart dashed along the surface of the station, weaving through small turrets that were really of no threat to him. They fired conventional rounds of blasts that easily ricocheted off the Gafran. But they scratched his armor and he wanted to avoid that.

Another beam cannon loomed up in front of him, firing desperately at the approaching Vagan fleet. A tail cannon shot blew the installation to a black, smoldering husk that vented a pillar of misty air. Zeheart weaved around it and fired a blast from his chest cannon, destroying another target, and a third with the tail cannon at long range with a twinge from his powers. A Genoace roared up, but it was just an orange one. He quickly dashed up at it, transformed into mobile suit mode and sliced it in three halves with his beam tail sword and beam saber. Three more rushed up. He opened fire with his beam machineguns, blasting them to pieces.

Was fighting this easy? He looked back to see the last of his squadron decimated by the blue Genoace, and his fear returned like a splash of cold water to his face. The shiver made him jerk his MS into an incoming missile. Zeheart screamed as the shockwave socked through him. He grabbed his stomach, feeling as though a hole had been punched there. Groaning, he tried to outmaneuver a saber slash from a Genoace, but his hands felt weak and flimsy. "I'm going to be sick," he groaned, straightening up from his fetal position just in time to dodge a furious barrage from the anti-MS guns.

Seeing missile launchers rising up from the side of the station, Zeheart felt fearful bits of sweat bead on his forehead. "No! I'm not going to hurt like that again!" He screamed, dashing straight through the blaze, ignoring the three other Gafrans and Baqto blown away beside him in the volley. Spinning as he hurlted down like an arrow, Zeheart gunned the Gafran's machineguns and raked a path along the side of Little Ring, blowing away each missile launcher with a tail cannon shot. With a final shout, Zeheart was at a pentagonal opening. He stopped and looked back at his handiwork, smiling as he saw the fleet taking advantage of the hole his single Gafran had made in the station's defenses.

A flash caught his eye. A mobile armor similar to the Zedas was rocketing through the two remaining _Darwins _daring to bar the way. Missiles streaked out of long, glowing panels on its body, each nimbly dodging the flurry of beam shots from the battleships and their mobile suits. The warheads collided on their marks without a single one shot down. The green-grey mobile armor streaked past the lurching _Darwins, _maneuvering through the defensive fire coming from Little Ring, it transformed into a mobile suit as it dashed up beside Zeheart's Gafran, a beam rifle snapping off its chest to attach perfectly into its arm. The machine's visor lit up at the Gafran and then dashed on into the spaceport's interior. Zeheart hesitated for a moment, then gunned the throttle and dashed after it.

Inside, he was struck with disbelief at the sight of half the _Darwins _undocked from their berths and battling each other. Several white ships already smoldered up ahead, venting jetsam.

"Are they...turning on themselves?" The memory of other street gangs fighting over food spoils rose into his mind. _Easy Targets, _Zanald used to say. With a flash from his machine, Zeheart got to work.

* * *

**Fortress Ambat, the **_**Diva**_

Dique Gunhale rushed about the AGE System's control room with three other workers in white jumpsuits under the shouting commands of Vargas Dyson. He was getting really tired of the bossy old man. Now that his studying during the _Diva's _time of idleness had given him excellent knowledge of how the machine worked, he felt the constant directions from Vargas were becoming a bit troublesome. He bit back a curse as Vargas shouted him away from the Gundam's main upgrade panel.

"Get back to work Dique," Vargas commanded, finally striding over. "I'm letting you help because of your promise to stay away from the system. Remember what you did last time? Dumped the data for the AGE-1's upgrade program and had it construct faulty parts. Do it again and we might have the whole Photon array shut down."

"Lalaparly reports a coolant leak in one of the conduits," one of the mechanics reported.

"Oh blast," Vargas turned away from the control panel.

Dique continued fiddling. He admitted that his overenthusiastic tampering resulted in some serious problems with the system, but he didn't believe the data was lost as Vargas claimed. The next Wear for the AGE-1 based off the data from the Spallow was essentially ready, he had just accidentally locked it away in some backwater file deep within the AGE System's memory. "Dique!" Vargas shouted, coming back to knock his hand away. "That's it. Get going."

"What?" Dique asked, feeling his cheeks flush with rage. "I'm fixing it."

"That's not important right now," Vargas retorted angrily. "Enough messing with the System. I'm sending you to the Photon cannon. We need all the hands we can get to fix the leak. Now go!"

Dique bit back a curse and stormed out of the room. Let the AGE System never be used for what it was supposed to do. The old man had no faith in him. He'd fix the coolant leak, but he wouldn't be coming back.

* * *

Fox Takeo gritted his teeth as he wheeled his cumbersome Genoace F through a blast of firepower from a gun installation perched near the tip of the fortress' long, horn-like arms. This and the powerful gun stationed at the very tip were causing some serious trouble for the fleet as their asteroid shields were destroyed one after another. The Photon cannon was supposed to have fired already, but apparently not everything went according to plan.

_And that's what we're here for, _Fox thought with sarcastic joy. Another blast seared past him. He leveled off the beam cannons on the Genoace F's shoulders and fired a pair of powerful green blasts. They bored into the thick armor of the cannon, but didn't blow it apart. It ticked its guns around toward a EUBA _Chalcedony _battleship. Fox fired a second time, blasting the cannon apart. The energy stored up inside flashed out in a volcanic plume, forming huge cracks in the side of the asteroid all around it. Fox turned his attention toward the cannon at the tip, only for his sensors to pick up something behind at the edge of the asteroid field. He looked around to see the hanger doors of Madorna's Workshop opening. A black machine blasted out in a flurry of red light and sped toward him.

"The Susanoo." Growled Fox. He took one final look back at the cannon before stepping on the throttle and jetting toward the swiftly approaching Gundam. It would have to wait until he tied up some unfinished business.

Inside the Susanoo, Jaden Takeo felt his blood boiling as the silvery, half liquid controls conformed tighter and tighter against his palms. There it was before him, the hideous hulk of Ambat. This was the nest where the hated UE hid themselves after they blew a colony out of the sky. The fortress the Federation _gave _them. The Yellows were dealt with. It was time to bring the UE a taste of their own medicine.

He could feel it, the pulsing thrusters of the Susanoo, its sensors, its gears, its weapons primed and ready, their energy levels glowing with warmth in his mind. He could feel it all, thanks to the amazing system his father had installed inside the Susanoo, and the strange, silver controls enveloping his hands. His skin felt strangely cold, reminding him of what his brother said about the nature of the system. But who cared? How dare his brother put down their dad in such a way. He had been a genius to create such a weapon. And Jaden would use it for what it was meant to do.

A monitor beeped, but he knew it was coming before it did so. His brother's face stared back on the other side of the monitor, jaw set in a scowl.

Jaden spared his brother a contemptuous glance. "Going to try and stop me again?"

"I think it's time we had another talk," Fox said with a wan smile. "This'll be the last one, promise."

Jaden twitched and eyebrow, and the machine obeyed, keying off the chat screen as he angled the Susanoo toward an enemy vessel poking around near the edge of the fortress, unnoticed by the United Fleet. He licked his lips. That looked like a good place for the masked man to hide.

"You'll have to catch up."

* * *

"Sure you don't wanna ask for my help?" Lhuga Kat asked as her G-Exes slalomed through the asteroids. Up above, the purple Baqto kicked a boulder at Largan Drace's Genoace Custom and blew it apart to blind him as it rushed down, five beam tines xtended from its diffuse emmiters on its chest. Largan blocked the beams with his shield and punched the Baqto back, slashing with his saber to ward off a counterattack from the vicious machine. Whoever the pilot was, he was aggressive.

"I'll deal with it, just keep the _Diva's _underbelly safe," Largan instructed.

The G-Exes dashed at the Purple Baqto, throwing its aim off as it unleashed a full chest cannon blast at Largan. "Yeah, yeah."

"I mean it!" Largan snapped. "They still haven't fired yet! Until they do, that giant mothership is going to be a problem."

The Baqto parried a vertical slash from Lhuga's longsaber and yanked the blade out of her hand with a quick snatch from a materialized beam claw. The claw disappeared in a blast of beam fire from the chest cannon, and the Baqto rushed at the white and lavender machine, unleashing a furious series of punches at the enemy, its beam tail raised over its head like a scorpion, beam sword ready to stab at an opening. Largan rushed up, but the Baqto lunged at him instead of retreating, elbowing him even though Largan had the Genoace Custom's shoulder spikes ignited. There was a green flash of energy as the UE suit's magnetic coating resisted the blast, then Largan spun wildly as the Genoace was forced back.

Lhuga charged in, firing her DODs rifle, but the Baqto rushed up at her, letting the blasts harmlessly strike its coated body and pepper her with return fire. Largan righted himself and charged up at their adversary, only for its tail cannon to let loose on him, forcing Largan behind his shield. The enemy began striking the surrounding boulders with glancing shots, sending them colliding with Largan's Genoace and preventing him from getting closer. The Baqto suddenly drew back and unleashed a flurry of beam machinegun fire into the G-Exes' face, forcing Lhuga back with a scream. The Baqto dashed into her G-Exes, smashing both claws into its head and tearing out its main camera. With a ruined head, the G-Exes drew back and retreated for the _Diva, _the Baqto hot on its heels.

"No, not that way stupid," Largan shouted at the purple Baqto, firing his DODS rifle at the enemy. "I'm still here and kicking." He dashed up at the enemy as it whirled around, transformed into MA mode and flashed past him, spinning around with a full salvo of beam fire. Largan cursed as he lost the main camera and his left arm _and_ the DODS rifle. He looked back up at the flagship. What _was _taking the _Diva _so long? "Come on Grodek, hurry up," Largan muttered. Visor line lit in triumph, the Baqto reared back its clawed hand and palm heeled the Genoace's chest. Largan felt his machine shudder and his face slammed against the control panel. His helmet visor cracked.

* * *

"Hurry it up," commanded Grodek Ainoa from the wall terminal. "I can't ask the fleet to wait much longer."

"We have a coolant problem," Madorna snapped back through the near deafening roar of the Photon array. "You want this to be the last time you fire?"

"It's been twenty minutes since the last shot," Grodek snapped. "If we wait any longer it won't matter if we fire again." Grodek consulted something. "And another problem. Why are the controls for the cannon's targeting computer displaying this strange control panel?"

"Let me see," muttered Madorna, eager to do anything to get Grodek out of his hair. He looked down at the AGE device, tucked neatly in the center of a mass of color-coordinated wires. His eyes narrowed in growing alarm at the sight of the device's red screen, a warning light flashing. "What the devil is this?" He asked. He glanced over the options the device was giving him. "Oh, I get it. The system is searching for problems. Strange. I thought Vargas was in charge of that." He thought it over for a moment, then pressed the option titled, "End Circuit Patrol."

Instantly the device let out a keening wail that sent every engineer in sight scrambling about for what set off the alarm. Amidst the confusion, Lalaparly pushed over next to Madorna. "What did you do?!" She shouted over the screech.

"I was trying to _fix _it!" Madorna yelled back. Suddenly it went silent, leaving the only noise the roar of the Photon array. Madorna smoothed his goatee and stared down at Lalaparly. "..See.."

"What's it doing now?" She asked, pointing at the device.

"'Searching for available terminals'," Madorna read carefully. He and his wife exchanged a worried glance.

* * *

"The Photon cannon is back up and charging at forty percent," Edward Ottawa called from his station.

"Good," Grodek said, watching his chair monitor apprehensively as the screen returned to normal, though a small auxiliary window continued to say something about searching for a new terminal.

"Captain," Onette Cory called from her seat behind his chair, "I'm picking up a strange signal."

"As am I," Milias said. "Do you recognize it, Cory?"

"Not strictly, but, it looks familiar somehow."

"Most likely the enemy relaying commands to each other," Grodek reasoned. "Adams, take us forward a bit. Keep an eye for sudden tricks, that other warship is still waiting in the wings."

He sat back and tapped a command on his chair terminal. It seemed his little gift was being well recieved by the military. Soon the Special Forces would also be no more. He looked back up at the fortress. And neither would this damnable hive of killers.

* * *

The Zedas streaked in like a gold comet, leaving a long tail of light behind it. Woolf slashed with his longsabers, but the Zedas dashed aside and let lose a torrent of firepower from its chest scattercannon. Woolf dodged the blasts, firing off a salvo of his own. The Zedas dashed above the Spallow and kicked it in the head, firing at Woolf at the same time with its beam machinegun.

"This is too fun!" Decil shouted with glee as Flit roared up at him inside the Spallow, nearly slashing off the Zedas' foot. The G-Exes was there, firing a DODS blast and then rushing in, beam longsaber at the ready. Decil parried, then thrust at the G-Exes, which parried the blow. For a moment the Spallow was forgotten as the two machines dueled frantically. Then without warning the two rushed away from each other, only to surge back like opposite magnets in a clash of sparks.

"You fight too much like me," Decil giggled. "You must know a good thing when you see it."

"Same to you, ya little copycat," Woolf sneered.

Then the Spallow was there, lunging up to stab Decil's machine in the back with the Shiguru blade. Decil abruptly transformed the Zedas and dashed up, forcing Flit to stop his blow before he impaled the G-Exes. Then the Zedas streaked down again, slashing off the Spallow's right leg at the knee. Woolf dashed into the Zedas, sweeping both sabers to scissor it in half. But the black UE suit blocked the blows and darted away in Ma mode, before barrelrolling back at the two Gundams, unleashing a hailstorm of saffron bullets of beam fire.

Woolf dashed away, then back into the Zedas with a kick. Flit saw his chance and lunged, but his blade was parried by the Zedas' own sword. The two traded blows several times before Decil drew back and pummeled the Spallow with a beam cannon blast. Woolf darted from underneath the blue Gundam, but Decil fired a scattercannon blast and sent the G-Exes spiraling away, unleashing rifle shots between bursts of exhaust. Decil and Flit dodged these as they rushed in, slamming their respective swords together. Ignoring the rain of sparks, Flit sent the Spallow's manipulator forward, grabbing the Zedas' sword hand.

Inside his cockpit, Decil's face was split slowly apart by a feral grin. "Ha!"

Flit yelped and sent the nimble Spallow darting backward with a stream of exhaust from its armor as Decil ignited his beam saber on the trapped hand, burning away the Spallow's own manipulator. The Zedas fired a few bursts of machinegun fire, all of which the Spallow danced and somersaulted around easily. With a flash from its visor, the black UE suit turned and slashed at the G-Exes as it dashed in. The white machine leapt back, gaining distance.

Flit saw the green halo at the edge of his vision and turned to see Don Boyage's Gila, nothing more than a head and torso, slam into an asteroid and spin off, trailing smoke and sparks.

"I got him," Woolf called, grabbing the damaged Zalam mobile suit. "Keep Decil busy."

"Roger," Flit replied as he sent the Spallow streaking forward with a scream. The elbow booster activated, sending the Zedas reeling back under a flurry of powerful strokes from the Shiguru. "I won't let you crazy monsters take not _one _more person from this battlefield!" Screamed Flit. "I'm ending this now, Decil! I don't understand who you are or what they did to make you fight but it's over!"

He sent the blade slamming down for another driving blow, forcing the Zedas back into a large boulder from the sheer force. A Gafran closed in, but in a flash the Spallow had sliced it in half and was rushing down on the Zedas, blade drawn back. The booster blasted to life and the blade drove home. Decil screamed a battlecry that sounded far too much like a shout of joy and unleashed a scattercannon blast. Flit sent the lithe Gundam into a circuitous dance through the beams and dashed in again, but the Zedas rocketed away and back, slamming its blade into the Shiguru.

"Now that Mr. Woolf is gone," Decil said with a cackle. "It's time to bring in the new weapon Master Geera gave me! I'm sure you'll recognize it!"

"Oh shut up," Flit roared, descending from above to slash at the Zedas, which parried the blow and fired off a couple rounds of its beam machinegun.

A bright flash of light erupted from the direction of the fortress. Turning, Flit felt a strange ping of growing apprehension as it approached, a rose colored mobile suit with a pink chest cannon riding on a flower-like subflight unit. He felt a familiar, warm presence he never thought he'd feel again screaming in fear from the cockpit.

"It can't be," Flit breathed, eyes staring glued in shock to the pink Farsia as it deployed five flower-like funnels from holes on the binder on its back. The flowers arranged themselves around the lifter and opened fire on him. Shaking his head, Flit dashed aside, parrying a blow from the Zedas as it stormed past. "No, I don't believe it. How can she be here?"

"Flit?" An all too familiar voice called, he could hear it in his mind as clear as Decil's fiendish cackle.

"Yurin?!" He asked, dodging another volley of firepower from the Farsia's funnels. The machine darted at him, as fast as the Zedas, a beam saber lashing out to nearly slice of the Spallow's arm. Flit barely dodged the blow and the Zedas' own sword thrust, twisting the remaining limbs of the Spallow around before darting upwards to gain distance. "Yurin what are you _doing _here?" Flit screamed, feeling tears starting to well up in his eyes. With a blast of green light from the halo, Flit realized that all the flower funnels were arranged around him. He darted the Spallow through their fire, only to be sent flying back as the Zedas came down with a punishing kick to the Gundam's chest.

The Farsia rushed up at him, its funnels forcing Flit to push the Spallow to its limits as it somersaulted, barrelrolled, and twisted through the blasts. "FLIT!" Screamed Yurin as the Farsia dashed in close, a pink blade appearing in its hand to nearly slice into the cockpit. Then the Zedas dashed in as the Farsia drew back and fired a salvo from its funnels, black blade in hand to deal a lethal blow that sliced off part of the Spallow's armor.

"Flit! I-I can't control it!" Yurin screamed as three of the Farsia's remote weapons drew together and formed a powerful saffron blast that nearly took off the Gundam's shoulder.

"Shut up!" Decil snapped with a wicked smile. "X-Rounder powers resonate when close to each other and increase their power, that's why you're here, to boost me at a level where I can control the Farsia. Get it? You're just another tool in my arsenal. Batteries should be quiet and do their jobs!" The Farsia's chest cannon fired a powerful beam, but Flit managed to move the Spallow out of the way.

"A tool?" Yurin began yanking on the controls with all her might. "NO! Stop it!" She shrieked, yanking on the control yoke to seemingly no effect.

"I said shut up, Ms. Violet," Decil chided, dashing at the Spallow.

"No!" Trembling with frustration, Flit clashed blows with the Zedas in his machine, desperately trying to get to the Farsia.

"Let's have some fun," Decil laughed. The Farsia's subflight unit flashed to life in a burst of pink light and rushed in, funnels arrayed for battle.

* * *

With a simple twitch of the fingers from its pilot, the Susanoo Gundam drew a red sword from its back mounted hardpoint and opened a hole in the bridge of the UE _Fa Raza. _He dashed back, firing a blast from the Gundam's hidden wrist mounted beam vulcans into the breach. The turrets along the ship's hull continued firing at him desperately, but the black Gundam lazily weaved around their fire before whipping out a beam rifle and lancing two of them with expert blasts.

"Such precision," Jaden awed. "I'm the targeting computer." He continued dodging the beam blasts, unleashing a spray of vulcan fire into a swarm of glowing missiles streaking in with bursts of violet light. He pulverized another turret by dashing down and slicing it in half. He drew the red blade from the ruined turret and moved to the next, spearing it through with a thrust and then tearing it off the ship with a diagonal hack through its armor. A Gafran swooped up from the prow and rammed into him, but Jaden whirled around and drew a beam saber, its long, thin blade slicing the UE's head clean off. With another quick stab, he'd bisected the Gafran. He grabbed the head and tossed it back into the ruined mobile suit as it blew apart.

Another turret angled toward him, firing a saffron beam straight at the Susanoo. Jaden glanced in its direction as he dashed away in a blur, a single beam rifle shot entered the cannon's barrel, blowing it apart in a flash of light. "All I have to do is look at what I want to shoot, and it fires there without fail!" Laughed Jaden. "So much for Amy's sharpshooting."

The wounded warship began to retreat slowly as its auxiliary crew got the ship under way. But the Susanoo weaved a trail through the blasts from the remaining beam cannons and dashed to the ship's rear, rolling upside down as it blew apart two more turrets guarding the iridescent violet panels that were the ship's engines. With a flash of light from its own thrusters, the Susanoo cut a gash with its sword into the panels, then back again in a flash. Vulcan and beam rifle blazing, Jaden descended again, blasting apart the engine panels and sending them streaking off in a hailstorm of flickering shrapnel. Ignoring the distracting light of the dying panels, he landed atop the remaining engine, stowed his beam rifle in exchange for a pair of beam sabers. He ignited them and stabbed both into the armored hull, then shot up, combining them into a double bladed weapon. Drawing his beam rifle again, Jaden pumped beam fire into the engine. The lights flickered, then burst away from the panels like flame blown from a wick, leaving the engine dark.

"Heh, I guess that's one upgrade for these engines, they don't blow up when you destroy them," Jaden complained. "I was hoping to take down this warship in one go, but I guess we have to do this the hard way!" Turning toward the _Fa Raza _again, Jaden sent the Susanoo dashing down to its underside. He flew straight into its mobile suit hanger, still opened, and drew his sword, firing a wave of beams into the wall and gunning the Susanoo's engines to maximum. Slammed against the seat as the Susanoo rushed forward, Jaden tore straight through the interior of the warship, blasting out between the engine blocks. The warship belched flame and finally broke apart, its bow dipping upwards in its death throes.

Deciding it was time to reenter the major battle, Jaden whirled around and dashed toward the rocky expanse of Ambat. He felt his blood boiling again, his father's remains flashed before his eyes. Roaring, the Susanoo tore through a gun turret and slammed through a large crack in its crust, down into the bowels of the fortress. He noticed Fox's slow-moving Genoace coming up behind him.

"Follow me then," Jaden scowled. "But you can't compete with me now."

* * *

**Earth orbit**

His Gafran floated in its mobile armor form, watching as the disk of the Little Ring spaceport station blossomed a thousand fiery pillars along its hull and began to crack apart. Zeheart felt relieved this fight was over, and a bit excited, because now there was nothing standing in the way of him going down to that wondrous blue world. He felt he could gaze at it forever as it floated in front of him.

"It's quite the sight, isn't it kid?" A voice said. Zeheart glanced over to see the pilot of the greenish grey mobile suit smiling on an auxiliary screen. The Veinidorr floated next to the Gafran, its face turned toward the blue planet.

"It's amazing," Zeheart said. "Do you think the Federation doesn't want to share it because it's so pretty?" He looked over at the pilot seriously.

The man looked amused at first, but quickly sobered up with a dour expression. "I heard some of the new Xies were young, but I didn't know you'd be just a little squirt."

"I can pilot, and my brother is only nine months older than me!" Zeheart touted proudly. "And he's the Zedas pilot."

Nearby, the massive square panels of what had once been the outer shell of Colony Titit moved forward, providing ample cover for the Gafrans pushing them. They would supposedly use these as extra shielding during atmospheric entry, and then use what panels remained as bombardment weapons to soften up Brucia's defenses.

"Decil Galette? Isn't he the kid that went MIA? Whoops," the pilot scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh, I'm sure he's alri-

-MIA?" Zeheart frowned with worry as his Gafran moved up behind one of the screens with the Veinidorr. "Is that why they said I'd never see him again?" He felt the torturous training MI system prying open his X-Rounder powers again on the long voyage to the blue planet, the instructor standing over him, telling him he'd never see Ezelcant or Decil again unless…

"They told me to fight. They told me I'd never see big brother again if I didn't fight! I have to get there first!" He screamed, startling the Veinidorr's pilot as his Gafran dashed away from the metal screen and soared for the blue world and the far away coastline of Central America.

* * *

**New Mazatlan Isle, Brucia, Administrative Safehouse**

It was a bunker. Technically the powers that be referred to it as the Executive Administrator's Safehouse, but it was a bunker. The grey walls rose disdainfully into the black ceiling, the cold air made his skin feel clammy, and the heartless white wall sconces lighting the myriad passages of the underground installation made Cedrick Fondor feel as though he was taking refuge in a prison.

"This place always gives me the creeps," Cedrick muttered as he fiddled with his shirt collar.

At his side walked Amadis Largo, looking professional and militaristic in a way Cedrick never would. "I admit it does cast a somewhat eerie feeling."

"It makes me feel I'm keeping dirty secrets from the public, an evil lair beneath the supposed paradise. You know, like in all those movies the government wanted to censure but never did."

"Time may flow, but Hollywood will never stop influencing the minds of mankind," sighed Amadis, stopping with Cedrick as they peered down a side railing at a vast dome that was the Orbital Drop Shelter. He remembered the Prime Minister's little extermination plan _was _a dirty secret kept from public eye, but that was apparently not what Cedrick felt worried about.

"Supposedly it survived the impact that created New Mazatlan," Amadis said, returning his attention to the dome. "Though I have my doubts about the authorities recovering it should the island be destroyed, washed out to sea and buried by sediment; It was when they found it before, all the occupants dead too. Knowing your preferences, Cedrick, I would assume dying here with your world's capital would be better than languishing with no hope of escape in a dank capsule waiting for the oxygen to run out."

Cedrick turned with an angry glower. "Amadis, are you _trying _to upset me?"

Amadis turned to walk away. "Better not think about it, Cedrick. Your Claustrophobia will get worse."

"They aren't going to make me go inside there, right?" Cedrick asked worriedly, coming up behind. "I can say no, right?"

"You're the leader of our world," Amadis sighed, "It's your duty to survive, Sir. You'll just have to resign yourself to your responsibilities."

"Oh come on ol' buddy, they wouldn't try a colony drop. Right?"

"I don't know," Amadis put his fingers to his forehead. "Let's just hurry up and get to the command center. That Grodek Ainoa just released a viral newsfeed that has the whole government in a frenzy."

"Don't change the subject!" Cedrick commanded, his voice echoing in the vast chamber. "If I have to go inside there, you're coming with me!"

"No, I'll stay valiantly to the end and get all the sympathetic news publicity," Amadis snorted. "I'll be long gone by the time they fish that thing up out the Pacific."

* * *

**Fortress Ambat**

With a screech of metal, the Susanoo descended amidst a rain of debris into a wide docking bay filled with UE cruisers in their births. Scores of people were rushing into them like frightened ants.

Jaden Takeo gunned the Susanoo forward, firing a blast at the cruisers. His mind raced as he dashed around a flurry of firepower and a Gafran and two Baqtos surged down from a shaft in the ceiling. Jaden combined his beam sabers and lunged at the enemy, slicing through the Gafran's head and dashing through the other two before they could respond. Even as they turned to face him, Jaden came roaring back through, slicing off a Baqto's right limb at the shoulders and slicing the Gafran apart at the waist. He grabbed the wreckage and threw it back at the two UE, then dashed through the following explosion, firing with his rifle.

The damaged Baqto appeared within the flames, beam talons ignited from its chest cannons. The Susanoo charged in an instant, but Jaden felt a strange silvery ring of light around the edges of his vision, like a silver ocean, and he sent the Susanoo into a desperate corkscrew. Two boomerangs whipped past, then disappeared as Jaden whipped the Gundam around and blew them out of the air with his rifle. The second Baqto dashed at him, beam sabers ignited. With a flourish, the Susanoo switched to its sword and swept down like a missile, tearing the Baqto apart instantly before zipping back up through the exploding machine to unleash a devastating flurry of slashes into the remaining UE suit. Stowing the beam sabers, Jaden grabbed the Baqto by its throat and held it aloft, crimson sword held back in the other hand. The ruined machine's visor line flashed weakly with a piteous warble.

A crackling voice issued from the speaker, "I surrender, no"-Jaden thrust the blade through the other machine's cockpit in a flash, silencing the defeated enemy. Without hesitating, he turned around and dashed for the waiting cruisers. He couldn't let them launch or the already beleaguered fleet Grodek had assembled would be decimated. Throwing the Baqto down on top of the nearest ship, Jaden drew his beam rifle and got to work.

* * *

"He had to be in a faster machine," Fox Takeo complained, slamming his beam cannon into the face of a Gafran, crushing it in. The machine dropped to its knees, glowing seams appearing in its body before bursting into flame.

"Nice trick to stop us from getting our hands on your tech," Fox said, jumping over the immolated husk to fire a pair of bright emerald beams through the wall. He swept into another passage, firing a salvo of missiles into the corridor as he rounded a darkened corner. An oval missile pod with six insectoid legs opened its mouth above inside a ventilation shaft.

His sensor screamed, Fox raised his beam guns and shot the weapons pod on its rear thrusters. The machine fell to the floor in front of him with a clang, entangled in a mess of black cables. Fox blasted through. Another screech came and he swerved into the wall, firing a blast from his hip mounted beam guns into a Gafran's extended wing as it dashed up behind him. It transformed as it tried to avoid the fallen cables, but got entangled and rolled into Fox, who blasted beam energy at the enemy's back. Two more shots and the Gafran lay still for a moment, then imploded.

Turning away, Fox threw off a stray cable on his mobile suit's shoulder and rushed through the corridor, only for something to snake out and whip across his mobile suit's chest armor, leaving a glowing streak of melted metal. He gunned the booster, scanning around for the attacker. The cable whipped out again from a rectangular opening in the ceiling, its appearance no more threatening than one of the loose cables nearby. "Heat rods." He snarled, firing his cannon at the ceiling, blowing away the lethal whip as it swung at him for a second pass.

Missiles flew out from their pods, blasting through the corridor and leaving a screen of smoke and flame for the Genoace F as Fox dashed through and into a giant hanger bay filled with warships lifting off their berths and making for an exit hatch illuminated by violet signal lights.

Even as he watched, the Susanoo dashed right out of one of the cruisers. The stricken vessel belched flame and lurched to one side, finally collapsing to the ground, where it blew apart.

"Jaden!" He called, boosting out of the passage just in time to avoid being ensnared by a writhing mass of heat rods. "Whew, just dodged that one."

"Don't just stand there," Jaden called, dodging a burst of yellow tinted beams from the nearest cruiser, "help me stop them before they launch!"

"You get into the craziest predicaments," he muttered.

* * *

**Big Ring, Earth orbit, en route to Little Ring**

"It's a disaster," Adalbrecht Diamler said, nibbling at his lip, arms crossed as he stood by the viewports of Big Ring's observation gallery.

"I know," said Commander Banks Stonewell, steel-colored eyes roving over a tactical map on his chair's terminal. Grodek's voice still ranging in their ears.

"...Do not trust or forgive these lies the Special Forces and Martians claim," his voice boomed. "Look at Angel, and if that is not fresh enough in your memories, than Nora, Tordia, and Fardain should serve nicely instead. Members of the Federation government and military of all branches, I ask you to follow your conscience in this. Join us in our crusade to bring these barbarians to justice, or join them in their evil schemes to arbitrarily slaughter our people on a whim..."

"I always knew we let him snoop around too much," Stonewell said dully. "So much for your theory that he was just a snitch of Fonroid's."

"He _was _just a snitch for Fonroid. He just double-crossed him is all, you see." Adalbrecht waved a hand.

"But it doesn't matter because over half the forces under Federation colors are turning on our units," Stonewell muttered, rubbing his temples. "We can't _not _support the fleet over the Americas because Brucia is in danger. And we have to remind our own people that we are still their allies. Those Vagans want Earth for themselves, and now that they aren't taking orders from us it's time to finish what was started at Mars."

"But after this all we'll have is Maximus under our control. We need a haven to hide while the bureaucracy works our necks out of the noose," Adalbrecht stated.

"What does it matter to you," Stonewell asked, eyes searching, "not all the judges in the Federation are going to lock up the only son of the Diamler Household. You've got nothing to fear."

"True, I am untouchable," he curled a lock of hair and turned back to the window. "Just worrying about my comrades is all," he alleged airily.

* * *

**Fortress Ambat**

"Can't that cannon charge faster?" Largan grimaced as his Genoace was flung backward into the side of the _Diva's_ starboard engine block. The purple Baqto roared up at him, Zanald Beiheart gave a brutal chuckle as he slammed the Baqto's fist into the Genoace's torso.

"You've been fun, but I have other dolls to trash," Zanald snickered, drawing back the Baqto's fist for a final strike, the beam emitter on its wrist glowing.

"Largan!" Milias screamed as her face appeared on screen, she was watching from a camera from the bridge.

"Not just yet," Largan said with a smile, grabbing the Baqto's hand as it sailed down at him and whipping out the Genoace's beam spray gun. He jammed the barrel into the hole and fired. The Baqto dashed backward, Zanald taking a hand away from a control yoke as he watched the right arm on his machine split apart in a fiery wave.

Grinning, Largan dashed down at the wounded Baqto. "This last kill should do it!" He drew out the beam saber and slashed laterally across the Baqto's waste, scoring a large burn across its coated armor. The Baqto kicked Largan's Genoace away ferociously, then dashed away towards the cloud of debris in front of the fortress.

"Getting away are you?" Largan asked, turning toward the _Diva. _"I guess I should refuel before going out again." He watched in satisfaction as he noticed the ship powering up its Photon cannon. He'd done his job. He looked across at the lumbering orange form of the enemy _Fa Bose _and bid it farewell as the blinding pillar of light shot from the _Diva's _parted bow.

**New Mazatlan Isle, Brucia**

The crash slammed his helmet against the control panel. The world transformed into a swirling whirlpool of bubbles for a few moments, then at last the Gafran balanced itself and poked its head out of the steaming water like a sea monster rising from the deep. Zeheart looked around, left where the sky met ocean, right where the waves broke on hidden reefs. Yes dead ahead, the city of Brucia with its waving palms and high skyscrapers reflecting light off their blue glass windows and silver sides.

Narrowing his eyes with determination, Zeheart fought back the urge to cry as he set the Gafran forward, flying in mobile armor form low over the water, leaving a trail of foam in its wake. He glanced up at the panoramic monitor, where little red and burgundy circles and lines surrounded the tiny points where the rest of the drop force fell to Earth tens of thousands of feet above.

Zeheart turned back, eyes burning. He would get his brother back. With a roar, the Gafran shot over the beach and through a skyscraper. Glass shattered in all directions as the Gafran, now a dull grey after having its paint removed from the atmospheric entry, shot out into a busy intersection and descended with a blast of light from its wings. The Gafran landed on top of a speeding vehicle. Zeheart saw a mass of running figures, all like tiny little ants waiting to be squashed.

He crouched the Gafran and rushed forward, crushing all of them. Rising up to its full height, blood running down its torso, Zeheart lowered one of the Gafran's claws toward the nearest pedestrian and fired, eyes smouldering with rage. "Bring my big brother back!"

* * *

**Fortress Ambat**

With a flash of exhaust, the Elmeda dashed away from a descending Gafran and put a pair of the Xynelda's beam lances through its chest. The Gafran extended its palm, firing off one last shot of beam fire that struck the Elmeda's shoulder armor, blowing it off. Inside, Ract grimaced as he pressed forward. The _Horizon _avoided the notice of the enemy mothership and now hovered close to a sealed docking bay. All he needed was the Titus to rush in and pry it open. But that didn't look like it was happening, because he could see the Spallow desperately fighting a pair of mobile suits amidst the shattered remains of the _Rafflesia. _

So, he, Ract Elfamel, would have to do that himself. And once he finished securing Ambat, he could concentrate on that spectral mobile armor stalking the asteroid cluster. The Elmeda roared in at the closed hatch barring the entrance to the docking bay. Two turrets unleashed a stream of firepower that blew apart a nearby contingent of Xenos. Grounding his teeth together, Ract set the loss of his men aside and dashed forward, sending the Xynelda off his mobile suit's back into one of the guns, where it sank its claws into its side and began to tear away pieces of the cannon's internal circuitry.

Meanwhile Ract dashed through the blazing fire of the other turret, the _Horizon _right behind him, firing a full broadside of firepower into the now glowing hatch. The Elmeda rocketed up, then went spinning, knocking Ract's head to the side of the screen as a Gafran slammed into him, ripping off the Elmeda's left foot with a backslash from its beam saber. Just then a Gila charged down, its beam mace swept into the Gafran's diffuse emitter, cracking it, then fired a DODS beam. The blast drilled into the Gafran, spinning away into a swirling cloud of fire. Don Boyage's face appeared on screen. "Thought you were going to do all this by yourself?"

"I was under the impression you had been killed, didn't a Baqto tear apart your Gila?"

"The White Wolf saved me," Boyage replied gruffly, firing a pair of DODS blasts into the turret, blowing it apart. "Imagine us, working together back to back. It feels unreal."

"Well it won't last forever, so enjoy it while you can," Ract laughed, firing his own rifle at an incoming missile pod as it opened its mouth and unleashed a load. Like a crazed swarm of bees, the missiles dashed erratically toward him. At the last moment, the Xynelda swept up and took the blasts on its sturdy shell, then returned to the Elmeda's back.

"There it goes!" Boyage called. Ract turned to see the rose-tinted Photon cannon sear through the wreckage of the United Fleet and blast straight into the _Fa Bose_. Both men cheered, but it died on their lips.

Despite the power of the cannon, the massive UE mothership did not vaporize. Nor did it belch flame and crack apart when the blast ended. The beam pierced through it, but one of the three binders that connected to the rear of the ship broke off, and even that didn't explode and continued pumping fire into the remaining vessels.

"I think our job just got a whole lot more demanding," Boyage muttered grimly, his Gila's turquoise mooneye flashing.

A warning beacon flashed across Ract's control panel. He frowned as he stared down at the blip indicating Bisidian's _Nightingale. _

_Now what forced you out here into the battlefield? _He thought, rubbing his chin.

* * *

"Well, well, well," Stoller Guavaran said, unwrapping a chocolate bar on the bridge of the _Zero_. "To think after all these years of trying to catch these little blighters, they'd pop up here of all places. The universe is a small, crazy place."

"_You," _Angrazzo Lambro said from across the screen on the _Nightingale's _dimly lit bridge, his face a mixture of fear, confusion, and rage.

Stoller took a quick, exaggerated bite from his chocolate bar in reply.

"Surrender peacefully and we'll let you…join us?" Heath questioned, glancing at Stoller. "Technically we're renegade right now, so I'm sure the Captain would have better things to do that track down scum like you, Bisidian."

"Nonsense!" Stoller replied with an upraised finger. He cast it down at the black _Darwin. _"Blow that ship outta the sky."

"Wait!" Screamed Angrazzo, his faces filled with desperation. "You have to believe me, we're all in danger, it's going to kill us all!"

"What are you babbling about?" Heath demanded, but drew back as Stoller raised a hand, munching into his chocolate bar with the other.

"Why else would I run into a battlefield!?" Angrazzo stammered; his face suddenly went pale as he turned to look at something offscreen. "Oh God, it's coming out."

Stoller threw away the wrapper even as his hand niftily opened another chocolate bar, eyeing the asteroid field.

"Sir! We've detected something approaching at high speed, but we can't aquire visuals," a frantic officer shouted. "—it has a cloaking device!"

"Captain!" Heath protested, watching in dismay as Stoller feverishly opened up two dark chocolate bars. "Your health!"

"Hush. My mind's working overtime and needs chocolate to think." Stoller took a finishing bite of his first bar and then began to chew on the other two, feeling the dark, serious flavor of the dark chocolate fill his mind with focus. He put the approaching enemy from the asteroid cluster aside. He munched again, finishing off the chocolate bars. Whatever it was, Grodek could deal with that. No, his eyes turned upon the flame orange battleship plowing towards the _Diva. _

"Heath," he said quickly. "I have a plan for that mothership. But I'll need tow cables, lifepods, and two chocolate bars."

"Oh sir, chocolate cannot in any way be tactically-

-SHUT UP I say. They are imperative to my plan!"

* * *

The Farsia dashed overhead, its circling funnels flashing by, firing their lancing beams. The problem was that these beams did not dissipate very fast, and Flit found himself rushing through a never ending web of fire, the Spallow whined in protest as he corkscrewed in a desperate dive at full speed, a blur. The Zedas dashed in, sword upraised. Flit cut at it, but the Zedas lunged back up and fired its scattercannon. Flit dodged, his heart stopping as terror raced up his spine like a blast of lightning. The Spallow's remaining shoulder armor disappeared as the Farsia clipped the blue Gundam with a blast from its chest cannon.

"Flit! Stop him! I can feel it, I can feel him sucking my power out like a _battery_!" Her voice dissolved into a choked gasp as the Farsia drew back suddenly and the Zedas dashed in, transformed and slashed with its saber.

"I only need one opening!" Flit screamed. Narrowly saving the Gundam's head. Then the Farsia and Zedas sent a full wave of beams at the Spallow, forcing Flit back into the pile of debris to let the twisted metal take the barrage. Decil's face popped into his mind, screaming with glee as he rushed in, jagged sword raised. Overhead the black and flame orange UE ship shuttered as the Photon cannon lit the battlefield. Flit felt his senses tingle and dashed at the Zedas as the green halo filled his consciousness. Decil was distracted at last.

The Shiguru whipped out. Decil blocked the blow with his sword, but Flit slid the brilliant green blade down its length and severed the Zedas' other arm above the elbow, then kicked the black machine back. Dashing forward, he stabbed, his scream of triumph mingling with Yurin's sudden scream of desperation. Then the Farsia was there, its body covering the Zedas. Flit watched in shock as the blade fell.

"Yurin!" He cried. But it was too late. Then a twinge of confused fear washed over Flit as he realized the blade hadn't sunk anymore than an a couple inches into the armor. The Farsia dashed aside, and the Zedas roared up, swinging its sulfurous beam saber. Flit cried out in fear and slashed desperately, only for the blade to clatter against the sleek black armor uselessly. "Not even a scratch?" He yelled as the Gundam fell away from the Zedas' swordstroke. He wheeled his Gundam around, kicking the Zedas back as it spun, swinging its beam saber. "What's going on!?"

"Watch out!" Yurin's cried as the Farsia spiraled down, a sword in hand. Flit dashed aside, but not before the Farsia tore a gash into the Gundam's face, taking out one of its optics.

"The main camera's damaged," Flit gasped, his heart pounding so hard he felt his vision blur. He looked up to see the Zedas floating there, mocking him; Decil's laughter loud and clear.

"I think we've played enough," Decil said. "You're machine's only as good as its pilot, Mr. Flit. And you just don't have what it takes. Mr. Woolf and Ms. Violet aren't here to save you now!" The Zedas raised its beam saber imperiously and charged.

* * *

**New Mazatlan Isle, Brucia, Commercial District**

Terrified, the fleeing Brucians dashed about madly, not sure where they should run. From the heavens came sudden, brilliant flashes of light as the panels from Colony Titit rained down like a shower of falling stars. Towers disappeared in bursts of dust and fire. The shockwaves ripped away entire blocks in a single instant with the same effect of a tidal wave. Monstrous winged Gafrans soared about the sky like dragons, firing saffron storms of beam fire.

And down below, amidst the smoke and screams, Zeheart pushed his Gafran forward, following a crowd of screaming people desperate to find some safe haven. He saw a man near the Gafran's foot. He reached down, grabbed the flailing figure and crushed it between the Gafran's claws. Zeheart emotionlessly watched the blood falling with narrowed eyes. A blast struck the Gafran square in the chest. He turned to see a green Genoace running toward him out of the smoke, firing a spray gun.

"Murderer!" A voice screeched in his head. He looked to find the enemy was hailing him. "Murderers! Space dragons!" The man on the other end screamed as he drew a heat stick and rushed in.

"Me? A murderer?" Zeheart asked. With a shrill scream of rage, he swept forward and plunged his Gafran's claw into the Genoace's chest, activating the beam saber. Still shrieking, face flushed red with outrage, he pushed his fingers through the half melted opening and yanked the pilot out, watching him scream as the heated claws melted his suit to his skin. "You're all killers, every one of you deserves to be thrown into the streets and die like rats," the man rasped from his helmet's comm.

"_WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW?!"_ Zeheart screamed with all his might, slamming the man against the shoulder armor of the Gafran and scraping him along its length. He watched the gore dye his armor with a mad glitter dancing in his eyes. Then suddenly something caught his eye. He looked down, near where he found the first man, and saw a little boy his own age, cowering against a palm. He was looking at the Gafran's other claw.

A dead, empty feeling took hold of Zeheart, as if a trap door had opened and let all his insides out. He'd just killed the child's father. The boy was like him now, he had the same face Zeheart was looking at in the reflection on his control panel; eyes wide and lost, gripped by fear.

He looked around at the carnage. He had done all of this. Trembling, he sent the Gafran's hands up to the machine's face and looked at the bloodstained claws. The thought raged through his mind and wouldn't let go as his body began to shake.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

"It didn't blow it away," Milias whispered, sweat falling down her face as she stared bleakly in disbelief at the enemy warship as it plowed bravely through the wreckage, not bothering to blow it apart.

In his chair in front of her, Adams swallowed and turned desperately back to Grodek. "If that other ship from the Workshop or Fardain are here, we're done for. Grodek, we should pull back and reassess this."

"I am still captain, Adams." Grodek shouted back, not bothering to look at the other man, who gritted his teeth in growing frustration.

"We can still win, but we can't afford to throw away any more lives!" Adams continued.

"If we pull back now, there will be no other chance," Grodek replied simply. "This is it, now or never. _All _ships, this is Captain Grodek Ainoa of the _Diva. _Continue onto the fortress. It must fall. It _Must. _It will. The _Diva _will delay the enemy mothership until you secure a landing inside Ambat. Forward!" Grodek cut the transmission and sat back down. "Edward I'm going to need all this ship's firepower. Get the Photon cannon ready and have it prepared to fire at whatever charge it is."

"Captain!" Adams yelled, pointing at the viewport. Grodek watched in disbelief as Stoller Guavaran's _Zero _dashed into view, towing the _Kat _behind it, both of their thrusters running at full power.

"He's going to ram that ship into the UE," Milias cried in disbelief.

"Two points of Port Quarter, coming in fast!" Cory shouted, drawing their attention to the rear monitor as it lit up.

Grodek's eyes went wide as a massive monstrosity blasted through the asteroid field and let loose a salvo of crimson beams.

* * *

Inside the bowels of the Photon cannon, Lalaparly and Mukured Madorna watched a dialogue scroll across the screen.

'_Alternate terminal established. Access—denied.'_

A message suddenly played across beneath, bearing the designation, S.I.D. _'Detected_ _Anomaly making unauthorized transmission. Message transfer is denied. Searching for registry. Anomaly is not registered. Searching complete. Object found—targeting. Target confirmed and locked. Destroying unregistered anomaly.'_

* * *

"Thanks for the fix," Lhuga called, pulling her scarf over her face as the repaired G-Exes lumbered onto the elevator.

"Don't mention it," Vargas called to her through his earpiece. He turned back to the shuttle being loaded into a side hatch that served as an emergency launch for personnel craft.

"Grandpa!" Emily called floating over, "we need help with the AGE System, it's going haywire!"

"Dique's supposed to be back," Vargas snapped. "Let him fix it. That's what he wanted to do."

"He hasn't come back yet."

"What?" Vargas wheeled around. "Listen, the Captain gave me special orders to launch this shuttle, I'll get there as soon as I finish. Until then, find that idiot"-A crimson light erupted into their eyes, burning away the wall. Emily screamed as the blast knocked her back. The shuttle came loose from its grabber arm and drifted out the glowing breach.

Something splattered against Emily's normal suit and painted her visor red. She looked up and saw Vargas float over her, his face covered with blood.

* * *

"The hangar is hit!" Milias called from her station, green halo raging in her mind. "Enemy bearing to starboard, move us down!"

"Do as she says!" Grodek yelled.

Adams needed no encouragement as another crimson beam lanced out of the darkness, changed direction several times to avoid pieces of debris, and drove at the ship. Despite Adams' expert maneuvering, the beam struck the side fins on the vessel's port side just beside of the engine block, blowing them apart. The entire ship shook violently and Milias heard a grinding sound.

"Losing engine power," Adams yelled.

"The _Kit_! It's attacking the _Kit_!" She looked on her monitor to see the _Darwin _vanish as three of the crimson blasts swept around it, then converged at right angles like missiles to vaporize it clean into stardust.

* * *

"Sir! The unidentified enemy just destroyed the _Kit_!"

"I know!" Stoller shouted back. He forced the thought of all the men they'd evacuated hastily out of the _Kat. _He saw on the viewscreen that they were still jumping ship in normal suits. But they had nowhere to go now. And he didn't expect the _Zero _to be coming back. The enemy mothership loomed up before them, firing a full broadside of firepower at his humble _Darwin. _The _Zero _had gotten him through many a trial in the past, it was fitting he supposed, for him to say goodbye like this. Who knew? Perhaps everything would go according to plan and they would survive with it.

"Are we ready to throw the _Kat_?" Stoller asked.

"There's still a couple dozen personnel onboard," Heath reported.

"Tell them they've been brave men," Stoller said, hanging his head. "Swing us up."

The _Zero _angled up with all its might, picking up speed as it whipped high over the _Kat, _drawing the strings tight. As the _Kat _started to angle upwards with the force of the tug, Stoller ordered the lines cut, and the sacrificial _Darwin _sped like a rocket toward the UE ship. Instead of making a final effort to escape, the remaining crew began launching missiles and beam fire at the enemy.

"It's going to make it," Heath shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

"No," Stoller squinted his eyes as he glanced from the mothership to the detached piece still doing battle with Ract and Boyage's winnowed fleet. "Turn the ship around," he ordered.

When the _Zero _had pointed back toward the _Fa Bose, _he took one last bite of his chocolate bar and jumped out of his seat. "We're going to have to make this count, so I want everyone who can save their lives to do so," Stoller said dourly. "you've been awesome minions to boss around and all that crap," he grabbed Heath and forced on his helmet, even as he pushed them to the emergency airlock and opened it with a shove from his foot. The vacuum hungrily yanked the air from the bridge, several of the crew flying out in an instant. Heath held on as Stoller stood there, his magnet soled shoes keeping him unmoving in the wind. "I have to admit, I don't have anything particularly nice to say, you kinda bugged me," Stoller said with a shrug to the struggling Heath, who looked as though he might cry.

"Captain, I've always admired your valor-

-So this is a happy parting. Toodles." He pushed Heath out the airlock and sealed it shut. Returning to his station, he settled into the helm and took the controls. Up ahead, the UE ship nimbly broke off one of its three pieces as he feared, letting the_ Kat _careen through harmlessly. The detached piece slowly reconnected as the turrets swiveled on the _Darwin _and shredded it to pieces with a broadside. Stoller put all power into the engines and aimed for the core of the ship, now wide open and impossible to miss.

* * *

Inside the _Diva, _the bridge crew paused for a moment in their desperate weaving to watch the _Zero _plunge into the _Fa Bose_, its hull blossoming with hundreds of burning holes from the enemy's beam cannons.

Stoller's voice, rattled with static crackled into Milias' earpiece.

"This isn't how I wanted it to go, but we can't choose in war, can we, Grodek? Glad I got the chance to hook up with your little band," The _Darwin _shuddered and crashed into the UE vessel, knocking it to the side. "Chocolate UNIVERSE!" Stoller's voice disappeared in a burst of static.

Buckling under the explosion, the _Fa Bose _nosed downward, one of its sides shuddered and blew apart, the remaining binder broke away, trailing flame. A piece of shrapnel slammed into its sides, and it slowed and finally went lifeless.

* * *

Dique floated idly in a darkened hallway, staring lifelessly at the white floor. He clinched his fists. After all that hard work, this was all Vargas trusted him with. Granted, he _had _messed up how the System worked, but not anywhere near as what Vargas _thought_. Finally he'd found a way to be of use_. _But what had Vargas thought of that? Refused to trust him and sent him away to deal with a mere coolant leakage. When this battle ended, he would go back to Minsry and live with the rest of his family at whatever colony they ended up in.

"Dique!" Emily's voice shouted. He looked up to see the blonde girl rush along the corridor. She stopped next to him, sweat beaded on her face.

"What do you think you're doing?! Get back to the hanger!" She grabbed his arm without pause and dragged him from the wall.

"Let go," he snapped, swiping her arm away. "I'm done helping."

"_What?" _She asked, her eyes flashing in disbelief.

"I spent all that time back home trying to get in on Flit's secret project, and when I do, you're grandpa sends me off without giving me a second chance! The AGE System has a new Wear part ready for the Gundam. I didn't totally mess-up the System, I just sent part of the data to the wrong place when I tried to create the new armor. Parts of the Wear are already finished, but Vargas thinks they're faulty pieces and has probably trashed them."

"That's enough, and it doesn't matter right now," Emily replied with a withering glower as she grabbed his collar and pulled him close. "Grandpa's been injured, you are the _only _one here who knows how to maintain the AGE System. And a signal just came in from the monitor that the Spallow is damaged so a new Wear is what we need. Now stop your pity party and go!"

"So what? You're grandfather doesn't want me near the control room," Dique countered, his voice wavering.

"He asked for you by name, idiot," Emily retorted. "You can stay here and prove him right, or you can come and help Flit. Make your choice."

Setting his face into a determined frown, Dique let out a sigh of frustration and followed.

* * *

"Enough! Please! You win, you win, Decil!" Yurin pleaded, the Farsia flashing its funnels throughout the debris. The detached segment of the UE mothership lumbered nearby, trading a storm of beamfire with the _Sing Lung _and _Chalcedonies _above and beside.

Inside the Spallow, Flit set his teeth against the throbbing pain in his wrist where a piece of shrapnel from the monitors embedded itself in his hand. The dying Spallow dashed aside as the Zedas streaked in, Decil's face appeared before him, making him jerk in his seat. The child had a mad, wolfish grin, every bit the predator gaining on his tired prey.

"No more!" Yurin shrieked. The flower funnels dashed down. Three of them drew together and unleashed a powerful beam, sending the wreckage in every direction. Through the silent avalanche of shrapnel Decil dove down, cackling with delight. "Goodbye Mr. Flit!"

"You—don't—I'm NOT another weapon for you to toy with!"

Flit closed his eyes as Decil descended, beam saber stabbing down to burn him away. There was a burst of static, and he felt a trembling blast of fear course through his mind. He shook as if struck and looked out at the battlefield wildly. The terror flew from the Farsia, floating in front of the Zedas. "No! Yurin, not this way!" He grabbed the pink mobile suit and darted back, his breathing erratic. He looked down to find the Farsia unscathed.

"Flit, I finally learned how to pilot a mobile suit," Yurin said, her face appearing for the first time on the chat screen in front of him, smiling, her face obscured by a little field of tear droplets floating in front of her eyes.

"So that's how it is?" Decil's low voice crept into their minds.

"Enough of your games Decil," Yurin shouted. "People are dying out here, this isn't a game. The Vagans are just using your power, like you were me!"

The Spallow extended a hand. "Come on, Decil," Flit said, his heart not quite hopeful that Decil would listen this time. "Let's go back to the _Diva _together, and we can play zero g tag all you want."

"Of course I know people die," Decil sneered. "That's what makes this fun!" The Zedas materialized in front of Flit, moving so fast he couldn't see. A knee to the torso sent the Spallow flying backward. "And why do I care if I'm used or not. So long as I can play all I want, it doesn't matter to me! But obviously you two don't want to play. If you're _that lovey dovey_, then maybe I don't need you anymore, Ms. Violet," he said with a giggle.

"What-what are you"-Yurin's voice dissolved into static as her face disappeared from the monitor. The Farsia dashed away from the Spallow, stopping behind the Zedas.

"Decil! No, stop," Flit screamed gunning the Spallow forward again.

Yurin tried to break away from the Zedas, but suddenly its funnels spun about and blasted off its binder and all four limbs.

"Yeah I could always do that," Decil said smugly. "Like so." The funnels turned and blasted at the Spallow, forcing Flit back. "And now!" Decil said, throwing up his hands. "I'll show you what I do to guns that misfire…"

Inside the Farsia, Yurin gasped as all the lights began to flash with increasing speed, a shrill alarm began with the sudden appearance of a timer ticking down on the panoramic monitor. "This can't be happening, I won't _let _it," Yurin growled, fighting the controls and pressing every button she could. "I will not!" Her eyes widened in terror as the green halo flew around her field of vision, and the sensation crawled up her spine and filled her with ice.

She caught her breath. There was no way out. She curled up in a ball, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Her mother was there, trying to batter the door down as they raced through the undercity, trying to escape the gangs. There was no way out. Her mother fell, covered with bullet wounds, Her father tried to kick the door down, but he too, fell. But as he fell, he pushed a grenade toward the door and blew it open. He made a way for her then. But she wasn't there now, in the dreaded underlevels of some industrial colony. She was here, with no one to force open the walls of the Farsia for her.

She looked up at the Spallow, still able to maneuver what few verniers it had left. Behind it, the UE ship segment blew apart in a thunderous starburst. Flit was free. Decil would be distracted now. "Go!" She screamed, the funnels spun around the Zedas, firing their beams in a deadly net. The timer reached seven.

"Run Flit!" She yelled. "Only Decil can stop it, and he won't!"

"Of course not!" Decil laughed, darting through the funnel fire. "That's it! Come on, you still have four seconds!"

"I can't do it Yurin," Flit screamed, tears flying from his eyes. "I can't lose you again! I can't go on without you _again_!"

"The escape pod isn't working," Yurin said, releasing the last of her hope with an exhalation of defeat. "Run." The timer reached zero. She looked up at him with a sad smile. "Living is hard, isn't it?"

Seams split open the Farsia's armor. A moment later it burst into a blaze of fire.

* * *

"It seems we underestimated their tenacity," Geera Zoi muttered, putting on the green helmet of his normal suit. He looked up at the looming mobile armor before him and prepared to push off for the cockpit high overhead. "The Defurse. Because of technical difficulties with its verniers, it didn't get the debut in Brucia I wanted it to, but this will do. In the catacombs of Ambat that won't matter as much, and the firepower will be worthwhile after losing the _Splinter._"

Something stopped him, a familiar feeling drilling into the back of his head. He turned around to see Arabel standing behind him fearfully. "Everything will be alright, Arabel," he said gently. "I'll be alright. The enemy won't penetrate Ambat." He turned to go, stopped and turned back to smile before putting on his helmet and pushing off for the cockpit. Arabel smiled back uncertainly before stepping away from the lumbering Defurse.

It was the first time Arabel remembered his Father smiling since coming to Earth.

* * *

Flit screamed and slammed his fist against the console as the Farsia blew away. Suddenly, a green flash swooped down and dashed through the blaze, coming out on the other side with a half melted red sphere in its hands. It tore it open and placed the limp form of Yurin into its own cockpit hatch, which slid shut moments later with a flash from the visor.

Decil and Flit both stared at the Baqto as it transformed to its mobile armor form and darted away.

"Oh no you don't!" Decil snarled, but a familiar pulse struck at him, and Yark Dole's imposing visage materialized in the center of the monitor. Decil jerked back instinctively, feeling Yark Dole's rage uncoiling at him like tentacles.

"Yurin, you're alive?" Flit asked, hailing the Baqto frantically. "Yark Dole! I know it's you! Answer me!"

"She is injured," the man's voice replied in its usual even tone. "I am going to take her far from here, where Geera Zoi and Decil can never harm her again."

"_What?_" Flit asked, a dead feeling settling over him.

"To Mars," Yark Dole replied, "to open her eyes."

"NO!" Flit cried, grabbing the controls again and throwing the Spallow forward. "I won't let you take her away again. Not after losing her twice already! How dare you save her just to drag her away to your lair!"He drew the DODS rifle with the Spallow's remaining hand and fired his last shot, but the Baqto angled away. "Bring her back!" He wailed, only to have the Baqto disappear into the darkness and the Zedas drop in front of him, visor flashing as it ignited its saffron saber.

"Some savior I am." Flit wrapped his trembling hands around the controls, head bowed as he waited for the end. It had all been for naught. Yurin was alive, but taken by the enemy. Decil had defeated him yet again, through trickery and cruelty. He hadn't changed a thing for fighting in the battlefield this day, the burning ruins around him making that painfully obvious. And the mobile suit he promised would drive the UE away had fallen at the threshold of their fortress. He was no savior. He was a failure.

"Flit!" Emily's voice cut through the silence. He glanced up to see a grey transport dash down from the wreckage. Its hanger doors opened up and a set of blue and silver armor blasted out. A signal appeared on his console, and he watched the blue Gundam's system close down as the Spallow streaked toward the waiting equipment with its last bit of thrust and fell away from the ruined AGE-1. The equipment carrier opened its arms and slammed the new Wear onto the torso.

The Zedas dashed up, saber ready to tear the new AGE-1 into scrap metal, but Emily rammed the Zedas' elbow with the carrier, knocking its slash wide.

"Go!" She cried as the battered craft flew into the debris.

Flit grabbed the spare power clip and swapped it for the DODS rifle's depleted one and placed the weapon on the Gundam's back.

"Now things are getting interesting again," Decil said, licking his lips as his Zedas dashed forward again.

Above, the Razor Gundam's eyes flashed to life as it drew its double-bladed sword and rocketed down with a burst of exhaust.


	14. Chapter 14 Plus Ultra

_**Chapter Fourteen Plus Ultra**_

* * *

**February 27****th****, AG116-Earth Sphere Fortress Ambat**

With a scream from their pilots, the Zedas and AGE-1 Razor crossed their blades. Sparks flew about as the two dueled amidst the coppery ruins of the _Rafflesia. _Above them, the beleaguered remnants of the Zalam and EUBA fleets limped for Ambat, driven forward by the _Diva _as it frantically weaved through the debris within a spinning net of crimson beam fire spewed from an unseen foe.

_One final trick of the UE, or is this the enemy that attacked the Treasure Star? _Flit wondered as he drew back from the Zedas, its wild pilot strangely quiet. _Decil's still got the upper hand in speed and maneuverability, but he doesn't know how this machine works, that's to my advantage, _Flit reasoned, sliding behind a piece of hull plating as it drifted in the way.

Flit quickly used the blue and silver Gundam's numerous verniers to slink into the remnants of a _Sing-Lung. "_Neither do I," Flit remembered, bringing up the red tinted screen on the control panel, eyes running hurriedly over the Razor's schematics. Hidden verniers in its thicker armor made the Razor superior over the Spallow in every way, especially in its weapons complement.

"I can't charge in without a plan for those remote weapons," Flit thought aloud, watching one of the Farsia's flower funnels move past the debris on the rear monitor.

The surrounding debris lit with fire, launching the Razor out of its hiding place. Cursing, Flit spun the Razor around and slashed with its blades, blocking a blow from the Zedas as it hurtled from the darkness, visor glowing. "What's your problem?" Decil yelled angrily from the black mobile suit. "I thought you were going to go at me with that new stuff, but you fizzled out!" The Zedas drew back and stabbed at the Razor's chest, forcing Flit into a dive for cover amidst the debris. Yellow fire from the funnels flashed out, forcing Flit to slalom desperately through, the Zedas hot on its tail in its stingray form.

Flit dashed into a pile of ruined ships and mobile suits, landing the Gundam between an old storage crate and a large, jagged piece of rubble. He tried to calm his breathing as he waited, senses alert for a sudden attack from Decil. He saw people in normal suits float past, awaiting rescue, most trying to band together near the drifting ships.

"hmm, so this is all you are," Decil's voice drawled from somewhere in the darkness, his voice filling Flit's head. "You get a fresh arsenal and here I am in my Zedas with only _one arm_. You're a waste of time."

Flit clinched the controls, ignoring the pain from his throbbing hand. The shrapnel hadn't severed any tendons, but it was brutally distracting. He had to wait, wait until reinforcements arrived so he could figure out how the Razor operated. A trial by fire with Decil would only waste precious moments as well as the new Wear.

"You have no competence. You know it, so you aren't coming out to fight," Decil continued with a sneer. "I guess it's a good thing that Ms. Violet isn't here to watch you hide. She was so powerful, she resisted my control over the Farsia, something you can't comprehend. I bet she'd help you if she could. But now she's dead," Decil said with a happy shrug.

It was just a provocation, but Flit felt his face begin to burn. He clinched the controls so hard blood began to trickle from the back of his hand.

Decil seemed to sense Flit's hostility and cruised the Zedas along the debris on the other end of the asteroid. "Do you know, I think I touched a nerve. Say," his voice grew devious. "If you're not going to play, I guess I can go back and wipe out that little idiot who rammed that transport into me. I bet she'll scream nice and"-

-With a single slash from its combined blades, the asteroid split in half and the Razor dashed out, firing a wave of beam blasts from its DODS rifle. Trembling with a scream, Flit collided with the Zedas, sending an exhaust tail from the Razor like a comet as he sent the intertwined machine's flying into the debris. "I've had all I can stand of your snickering little face!" Flit roared.

"That's it," Decil grinned. "Bring it on loser!"

* * *

Woolf gritted his teeth as a stream of firepower darted into his face. The battle scarred G-Exes somersaulted to the right, then dashed at the approaching Gafran. They traded beam blasts, his DODS rifle nicking the UE suit's wing and spinning it around. Woolf rushed in, drawing a beam longsaber, slicing the Gafran in two. He glanced back to watch it explode—a white Gafran sailed from the flames and nearly slice off his Gundam's booster packs with its beam saber.

He dashed away, then spiraled back in for a quick saber slash to the enemy's head. The Gafran blocked, then whipped its tail cannon overhead, pulling off a shot that nearly grazed the G-Exes' face. Woolf dashed aside in the last instant, then came back up with a punishing stab to the Gafran, which blocked with its wing, allowing the blade to puncture through before whipping it back, yanking the saber from the G-Exes and plunging its own glowing blade into the white Gundam's arm. Woolf dashed backward, firing a DODS rifle blast at the Gafran, which spun aside and rushed in, visor lighting up with an orange glow.

Woolf glanced back apprehensively at the remnants of the United Fleet. The number of enemy mobile suits probably numbered in the teens, but those left were the pilots worth fighting. For him it was no trouble, he was the best pilot here, but for the rest of the fleet's remaining mobile suit force…

He cursed and drove the G-Exes into the thickest patch of debris he could find as a missile pod dashed past and unleashed a swarm of projectiles. He pumped a DODS beam into the center of the missiles, sucking half of them into the explosion and letting the debris take the rest. He fired a second shot, but the missile pod used its insectoid legs to latch onto a passing asteroid and scurry into a crater. Up above, the white Gafran lit its visor and dashed down at him.

Woolf licked his lips and charged back at the enemy. "No one wears white but me, buddy!"

* * *

A pair of beam blasts plowed into the hull of the UE ship, and with a flash another cruiser slowly trailed off course and slammed into the hanger's wall. Fox Takeo admired his work before turning back to the other targets. The lightning fast Susanoo was living up to its name, dashing about the ships with brutal speed and deadly efficient gunfire, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Fox felt the pulse of pain issue from his finger, and he fought the urge to take his hand off the control yoke. Setting his teeth together, he forced his Genoace F toward his brother's machine.

Just then, a voice crackled from his comm. He glanced down. A transmission from one of the enemy cruisers, and broadcasting a recognizable distress signal of all things, Fox frowned. "Jaden, hold off a moment," he called, though he doubted it would do any good. As he expected, the black Gundam didn't pause in its assault, nor did Jaden Takeo respond. "They are broadcasting an S.O.S," he insisted, watching his auxiliary screen as a man flashed into view, his haggard features and desperate eyes showing he was near the end of his wits.

"Attention mobile suit pilots of the _Diva _Fleet," the man started, obviously not sure how to convey his message, "Please, stop your attack at once!"

"If it's surrender you want, it's no quarter," Fox replied darkly, glancing up to see the Susanoo enter one of the ships and begin tearing apart its interior.

"There are _civilian _refugees onboard," the captain cried, his pale face and desperate look in his eyes removing all doubt from Fox's mind. "I'm not supposed to make contact with hostiles but there are _children _here. Call off the black Gundam!"

Fox lifted his head at the remaining ships with a growing feeling of dread. "I'm on my way. Hold off the Gundam until I reach you. Until then, try and stay away from the exit hatch until it's clear. This could get dicey." _I _knew _something like this would happen._

"What are you"-the man on the other end stopped when he realized Foxdidn't appear to have control over the Susanoo.

Fox cut the transmission and started for the reeling vessel Jaden was gutting from the inside. Now they knew what became of the refugees from places like Tordia and Titit.

* * *

"This is insane!" Largan shouted to the _Diva _as his Genoace Custom spiraled dangerously through the spinning mass of flotsam, rocks, metal, entangling circuitry wires, and even corpses flying as he dashed headlong into the writhing mass. Above him, the _Diva _dove to the right as another crimson beam streaked into existence. Its guns fired at the source, but if they caught anything, Largan certainly couldn't tell.

Then _it _flashed down from the debris with arm drawn back for a punch, slamming the Genoace in the shoulder and spinning him off course. Largan let the Genoace go with the force and weaved through a mass of debris and into clearer space. Righting his machine, Largan looked upward hatefully at the purple Baqto as it flashed its visor and ignited a quintet of crooked chest talons. With a flash of violet light from its back, the UE suit rushed in.

* * *

**The **_**Diva **_

On the bridge of the _Diva, _Grodek Ainoa gripped the arms of his chair with all his might as Adams skillfully wove the ship through another punishing wave of fire. Up ahead, he watched the remnants of his assembled fleet quake under a vicious assault from the remaining UE Gafrans, all nimbly wheeling about like blue dragons burning medieval huts. A _Chalcedony _spewed flame and cracked apart.

Then a lethal red glow forced his eyes from the viewport, despite his flash guard combat glasses. "The heat of those beams must be incredible," Grodek growled under his breath. "Cory, is that signal-

-It's coming from somewhere to our right and still transmitting to somewhere on the ship," Cory replied.

"The AGE device," Milias said with a flash of the machine in her mind, surrounded by that now familiar green halo. "Captain, should we-

-If we toss it we will lose a valuable resource," Adams objected before Milias could even suggest it. He cried out and nosed the _Diva _into a sudden dive that taxed the already shuddering vessel to its limit. A flash of glowing green sparkles met his gaze below amidst the debris.

Grodek saw them first, "Mines. Evade them!"

"Below us!" Milias screamed at the same time, her danger senses flaring in multiple directions. She suddenly felt a drill inside her brain. She cried out at the migraine's sudden onslaught as three more danger points erupted from above and beside the ship. "_Incoming!"_

Adams sent the _Diva _on its side and dashed to starboard. Three beams lanced past and then smartly dashed back up for the fleeing ship, their heat detonating the mines below, cutting their power. A trio of hulking boulders took the remaining of the beams' energy, reducing them to liquid.

"Edward, start spraying missiles at random to cover as wide an area as you can," Grodek commanded, "and whatever you can't make up for it with the cannons, ignore the debris. Adams, all power to engines, make for the center of the fleet, we're going to trap that thing where it can't maneuver." He glanced worriedly at Milias, who huddled on her station, breathing heavy as she clutched her head.

* * *

Deep within the bowels of Ambat, Geera finished securing the purple helmet to his head. The Defurse had been outfitted with a new set of upgrades since its arrival, one of which was a new version of the Nanos-zsells that didn't infect the host with mind-crazing power. "I'm not sure what a Psychomet can do to help me against real X-Rounders," Geera said with a bitter smirk. "But the sheer firepower of the Defurse should be enough."

The base commander appeared on the monitor, his face grim. "Sir, an enemy _Chalcedony _touched down within Hanger 21. Your orders?"

Geera frowned and slowly pressed a silver, cross-shaped command key on his control panel, then turned back to his subordinate. "I will head there myself. If they reach the command center, you will resist them to the death."

The commander swallowed and nodded, even as his eye began to twitch. Geera smiled wordlessly. Soon he would test the ultimate capabilities of the Nanos-zsells.

* * *

The Razor Gundam dodged a horizontal chop from the Zedas, letting the beam sear past. Flit broke the Razor's blade in two and secured them to the Gundam's forearms. Decil gritted his teeth at Flit as he rushed back in with a shout. Flit blocked a furious stab with the blade tonfa, then kicked the black UE suit back. A burst of fear from all around him alerted Flit to the funnels. As the beams rushed in, he corkscrewed through the net and fired a spinning beam into one of the funnels, blowing it apart. The Zedas dashed in, transforming to its stingray mode and circling him madly, the remaining funnels flashed into orbit around him, glowing as they sent a charged blast one after the other at Flit.

Dodging the blasts, Flit gunned the engines and rushed in, combining his blades to clash against the Zedas' drawn sword. The two circled and rammed into each other, then darted apart as the circling bits unleashed another volley. Flit fired through the beams, nicking the Zedas as it surged forward. Flit dashed past the beam net, throwing his combined blade like a boomerang into the nearest funnel, blowing it apart. Decil screamed with rage. Flit roared and charged forward, DODS rifle aiming at the enemy's torso. The three funnels clashed together just in front of Flit and unleashed a massive beam. Screaming, Flit gunned the throttle to the floor and spiraled out of the way. He cursed as the Zedas dashed through the parting weapons and thrust down at him with its blade, visor glowing.

* * *

Largan Drace kicked the Baqto into a pile of debris and shot down a mine careening toward him. The Baqto's visor lit up and the UE rushed in, firing its beam cannons. Largan dodged the blasts and nearly died in a storm of missiles as two pods dashed past and opened their hatches to fire.

Then a white and lavender comet flashed past, blowing both away with two expert DODS rifle beams. Lhuga Kat's voice laughed over the comm. "Still want to handle him by yourself?"

"Just keep those guys off me," Largan replied, dodging the Baqto as it rushed past, slicing off its tail with his beam saber. The purple machine dashed away into the debris as its tail blew apart.

"Ah, running now that you're injured?" Largan smiled grimly as he gunned his Genoace after the retreating enemy. "You're not getting away that easy, not after all you've done!"

* * *

Perched on an asteroid flying close by the _Diva,_ part of its rocky surface melted away by a beam blast, Amy Takeo slammed her improved sniper rifle in place and waited. Another three crimson bursts of firepower lanced out of the darkness. With inhuman reflex, she pulled the trigger, her blast sailing into the enemy even as it finished firing. She saw a glowing flash as her weapon once again hit a barrier. She cursed and lifted her Vandera from its hiding spot and floated in space. This enemy was going to be a tricky one to bring down.

"Looks like I'm done being useful," She said, pulling off her helmet and tossing her red hair. She looked at Ambat, rising tall and ominous. Was Eli there? She looked away and decided she'd rather not know.

Suddenly Sutura Takeo's face appeared on a chat screen. "Amy, get back to the Workshop, we have wounded that need medical attention."

* * *

Flit wove through another pulsing pillar of energy and fired through a hail of machinegun bullets, letting the energy blasts tickle the Razor's armor. "It's definitely thicker than the Spallow," he smiled wolfishly, pulling off another blast. The Zedas dashed away from the beam and launched itself at him, transforming from its mobile armor mode into a scattercannon blast. Flit slipped behind a boulder and rose up a moment later, only to find the Zedas missing.

He whirled the Razor around and fired the DODS rifle's last beam into the asteroid, blowing it to pieces as the Zedas sped up from below. The black machine warbled under the barrage of stone. Screaming, Flit drew a beam saber and dashed down, slicing off the Zedas, shoulder armor and left leg at the ankle. With a sudden spin, Flit flipped the Razor back to face the Zedas to block a punishing beam saber hack.

Inside the other cockpit, Decil sneered with rage. "You're going to _lose_!" He shrieked, firing a close range beam machinegun blast. Flit pulled back, but his beam saber fizzled out just as the Zedas swooped in, transformed into its stingray mode, jagged blade whipping out. Flit pulled the Razor back in a cloud of cyan exhaust, the Gundam's right arm severed at the elbow, now a sparking black stump.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

With a final desperate twist, the _Diva _lunged through the United Fleet's center, aft cannons loosing a stream of fire. Six crimson beams dashed from nowhere, tearing through three warships before arcing up at the _Diva, _which took cover behind a teal colored _Sing Lung. _The ship blew apart in a blast of flame, just as six more blasts converged for the _Diva._

Inside the _Diva's _bridge, Adams only barely had time to contemplate the sacrifices they were making to outrun the phantasm. They were all too desperate by now, unable to keep dodging the incoming fire for long. A beam managed to get around the other ships and the _Diva's _frantic beam fire. Adams cursed as the beam descended in a plume of sparks into the ship's prow. Adams jerked the _Diva _to the side out of instinct, just as another beam lanced into the already damaged section of the hull.

"Not the hanger again," complained Adams.

"Just a little more!" Edward Ottawa growled, pumping a wave of power into another beam. The blast blew apart in a rain of red bolts, peppering the ship's hull with blackened pocks.

"We're almost there," Grodek cried.

Then with a final burst of exhaust from the _Diva's _over-heated engines, the arrow-shaped warship streaked into an open hatch.

The bridge crew screamed as a screech filled the violently shuttering vessel as the _Diva's _portside wings came off and the wall stripped off its armor with a storm of sparks.

Adams cut the ship's engine and set the _Diva _down near a pair of dilapidated refueling stations, a complex maze of pipes spreading out from it in all directions.

"We made it," Cory exhaled with a sigh of relief.

"I was sure that was the end," Milias said with a sigh of her own. She glanced back at the monitor. Largan's transmission was far away now. He had better be okay, because if he wasn't…

"Listen up everyone," Grodek said, standing up, "get prepped for combat, our objective is the control room."

* * *

"Jaden!" Fox Takeo shouted, dodging a red beam as the Susanoo whipped past. The bolt of energy struck home, tearing apart one of the cruiser's beam cannons.

"Don't get in my line of fire!" Jaden Takeo retorted angrily. "I might shoot you by mistake!"

"These aren't military targets! They are _transports._" Fox said again, trying to grab the nimble Susanoo. The black Gundam dashed aside and blew away two more beam turrets before dodging a broadside of firepower from the other two ships.

"This is getting me nowhere," Fox thought. Sighing with resignation, he boosted away from the ships and angled his triangle-shaped targeting reticle on the Susanoo.

* * *

Decil sped in to slice the Gundam apart, cackling with glee. Flit drew another beam saber from the Gundam's hip armor, but the Zedas yanked its hand away and crushed the beam emitter on the hilt's tip. Flit glanced down in surprise as the Zedas' diffuse emitter on its chest lit up with an ominous yellow glow for a close range blast. Flit smiled grimly. Decil screamed in surprise as Flit activated the Razor's Mantis claws from its shins and stabbed them into the Zedas' beam cannon. The glowing emitter cracked and blew apart, taking the nose of the Zedas' chest with it. The damaged machine sped back—Flit dashed in, launching the pair of blades on the Razor's shoulders. The weapons slashed into the Zedas' head, though Flit could still feel Decil's presence within, screaming with defiance.

"You _think _you're winning?" Decil yelled from the smoking cockpit. "Wrong!" Three saffron beams stabbed into the revealed compartments for housing the deployed Mantis claws, blowing the Razor's legs apart in a burst of flame. Then Decil sent the Zedas rushing in, sword swinging for a diagonal slash.

"Not a chance!" Flit sent the Razor streaking upward, pressing a command switch on the control panel and glanced back through the wreckage. The Zedas charged up, spewing beam fire from its remaining hand. Decil's face appeared before him again, no longer grinning, golden eyes burning with determination. Flit glowered back, his eyes filled with hate. He placed the Gundam's hand near its back. In the blink of an eye, Flit detached the blade that served as the Razor's rear skirt armor.

"I can tell you're out of weapons!" Decil screamed in triumph, stabbing the blade into the Gundam's chest. A horrible shriek of torn metal filled the Zedas' cockpit. Decil whimpered softly and stared blankly down at the blue and black blade plunged into the _Zedas'_ chest. Another appeared in the Razor's hand. In a blinding slash, the Gundam passed the Zedas. Decil watched his ruined machine's lower torso and skirt armor break away from his machine. "It isn't possible, you..you..no more weapons," he whispered. "No. More. Weapons!" He spun around in his seat, beating a small fist against the chair. "It wasn't my _mistake! You CHEATED!"_ With a squeal of rage, the funnels unleashed a withering barrage, dashing in erratically, almost too fast to see.

Inside the Razor's cockpit, Flit flung the Razor's blade, drawing the front skirt blades as tossing them as well. The first struck the funnels as they dashed madly in, blowing one apart. Then the other two blades collided into the last two remotes. They sparked and blew apart in a burst of flame. Flit glanced to the side as Decil madly spun the ruined Zedas around, beam saber ignited. He dashed in with a blinding river of light bursting from the Zedas' thruster panels.

Then the Razor's double bladed sword spun in like a boomerang in a cloud of propellant and slashed off the Zedas' remaining arm. Inside the cockpit, Decil threw up his arms in despair as the Zedas dashed into the Razor, which grabbed the UE suit by the antenna on its head and swung it back around into an asteroid. Decil struck the control panel and floated back up, staring in terror through his cracked visor at the Razor as Flit nimbly caught the sword in the Gundam's hand.

"It's not my fault," he whimpered. "No No No No _NO_!" He flung his head back and screamed at the top of his voice. "I can't lose!"

Then the Razor dropped in beside the ruined shape of the dreaded Zedas, blade coming to rest on its blade-mangled chin. Inside the Gundam, Flit looked down coldly at the pathetic form of Decil as the writhed in terror in the pilot's seat, chest heaving so badly Flit could see it plainly across the monitor.

"Do it!" Screamed Decil, his voice hoarse, tears of rage flaking from his eyes. "I…I"—He broke into another scream, glaring Flit down with his eyes as if he could burn him up with his mere stare.

For a long moment the two pilots glowered at one another in total silence. Then Flit turned his head to the side as he took one final contemptuous glance at Decil and drew the blade away from the once mighty machine. –_Didn't know any better, _Flit wanted to say, but he kept silent as he dashed into the wreckage in search of Emily, not looking back.

Inside the Zedas, Decil watched the Razor disappear amidst the wreckage. "No!" His body shuddered. Twisting and squealing, Decil thrashed helplessly as the Zedas drifted into the debris.

* * *

Jaden's eyes widened inside the cockpit of the Susanoo as he looked across the panoramic monitor to see his brother's Genoace F level off all four of its cannons and fire their emerald green blasts at him. The red lights on the monitor and control panel lit up in warning. But Jaden already felt the sensations rushing from his hands to his head. He dashed into the storm of green fire, maneuvering with inhuman precision.

The silver halo rippled like a seething ocean in his mind, washing away all fear, all thought. His mind thought faster than he could comprehend. All he knew was that the UE were not destroyed, and his brother had turned on him in their moment of victory.

"I said we needed to have one more talk," Fox said through the comm. "Well here it is. That thing's pumping your body full of these crazy little biomechanical cells. It's turned your anger toward the UE into a way to enslave you. Kinda like puppet strings."

Fox fired again, but Jaden—or was it the Susanoo? He couldn't tell anymore—easily dodged to the side and burst in with a crimson flash of light from his thruster panels. Fox unleashed a storm of missiles, but Jaden threw up a shimmering wall of beam fire from his machineguns to blow the warheads into a constellation. The Genoace F dashed in, and Jaden flung himself at the inferior machine with a wordless scream.

* * *

Grodek raised his fingers to halt the landing party. Milias drew up next to him, eyes narrowed as she fought off the last bits of the migraine. Grodek turned to her. "Do you sense anything?"

"Not yet," Milias said, taking a breath. "I wish I were more proficient."

"Don't worry about it," Grodek replied with a reassuring nod as he charged around the corner. The hallway beyond was lit by strange panels on the wall, each shaped like a whimsical polygon. "This will be a treasure trove of technology," Grodek noted as they passed by. "The UE have filled Ambat with their advanced systems."

"Above!" Milias shouted, throwing herself to the side as a black snake-like object swept by, slicing several members of the party in half.

Adams dashed through the spray of blood, firing his assault rifle at the black thing as it dashed in again, carving a bloody path through the survivors and corpses alike.

"Edward!" Milias screamed. She scrambled over to mangled body, blanched as the whip dashed past again. His head slowly rose up from the ground, spurting a stream of blood. Hands jerked her back as the whip flashed in again, then fell apart in a blast of electricity as streams of bullets tore it to pieces.

The party only had seconds to act as a pair of turrets swiveled down from above and trained on the rearguard, unleashing a storm of bullets. Just as Milias reached the other end of the hall, a halo ripple sent her jumping back into Grodek, who caught her. A reptilian form dropped from an opening in the ceiling, landing on all fours. With a mechanical whine, the anti-personnel machine's visor lit up as it deployed combat claws and pounced.

* * *

Grunting, Largan jumped behind a boulder to avoid a punishing blast from the purple Baqto's beam cannons. He gripped the controls tight as he dashed around and fired a DODS rifle shot at the enemy. The drilling beam swept up a cloud of dust and shrapnel, but the Baqto wasn't there.

"I hate fighting gorillas," Lhuga Kat seethed as she dropped down beside his ruined mobile suit in her G-Exes. "I thought he was on the run, but _nooo."_

The Baqto was there, suddenly between them in dragon form, firing its chest cannon. Lhuga screamed a curse and dashed back, right shoulder binder missing, along with the suit's right leg. She pumped a beam blast at the Baqto, which took it on its arm.

"So it _did _get an arm replacement," Largan grumbled, slashing at the Baqto, which blocked with a glistening blue saber and drew back. Then Lhuga shot by, slicing off one of its wings. Largan dashed in with a battlecry, but the Baqto's helmet armor emitted a burst of light and suddenly Largan was slashing at empty space as the Baqto flipped perpendicular to the Genoace and kicked it away.

"You guys aren't so tough even when you've got the upper hand." Zanald Beiheart chuckled inside the Baqto as he blocked Lhuga's swordstroke on his blue blade. "Pathetic! That brat Zeheart could wipe the floor with you," he taunted as he shoved the G-Exes at Largan's Genoace.

"So you have a voice after all," Largan said, dashing past Lhuga with a series of beam blasts from a fresh energy clip. "You sound like just a kid."

"Because I am," laughed Zanald, dashing forward, slashing wildly. "Got a problem with a kid beating you up?"

"A child?!" Largan could only just believe it. "What kind of devils put children into a mobile suit?"

"Too bad!" Zanald laughed whipping past Lhuga as she came in with a desperate slash. Largan swept in for a killing DODS rifle shot to the head, but hesitated. This was just a boy, who'd been twisted in ways Largan could only guess at. The brutal reality of the child stayed his hand for a full two seconds before he fired. It was all the time Zanald needed to grab Lhuga's G-Exes in its five beam talons and spin her around.

Largan watched in horror as his DODS rifle drilled into Lhuga's lavender Gundam. It twisted to pieces in the swirling blast. Lhuga's scream disappeared in a pop of static, then it was gone in a fireball.

"You snooze you lose," Zanald laughed as he sped through the fireball, ramming his shoulder armor into Largan's Genoace. "Mercy has no place in the alleys and it has no place here!"

* * *

With a final whine of electronics, the hail of bullets ceased and the mechanoid slowly crumpled to the floor with a protest from its failing hydraulics. Adams breathed heavily as he stepped away from the machine. "I think it's dead," he reported to Grodek, who stepped out with Milias from a stack of ancient crates.

"How many did we lose?" Grodek asked.

"Twenty," Steward reported, coming up with the remaining fighters. "That leaves us with ten." He glanced around searchingly, the pale light on his combat helmet moving over the high, rocky ceiling. They were in a vast, darkened room, with storage crates so old they bore the three planets ensign of the old Axis Federation. Ambat had been theirs to the end until the Twin Pillars abolished the old government. "There's all sorts of things hiding in here. I expect them to start popping up more when we get closer to the control room."

"We can't go through the vents," Grodek frowned in thought, rubbing his chin. "It's a good thing we ran into that robot beforehand. It came from the ventilation shaft."

"A transmission from Flit," Adams spoke up.

"Flit," Grodek said into his helmet's comm. "Where are you?"

"I've entered the fortress. I'm homing in on the reactor core, it appears they're still using it as a source for power."

"Good," Grodek replied. "Destroy it. Meanwhile, we've run into a problem. The ventilation shafts are filled with heat rods and they have anti-personnel mecha on patrol. We don't have the combat strength or weapons to face them in this area, so I'm going to punch into the computer system and try to shut down the security. That will take time, so I need you to wait for my orders in case I need you."

"Roger that," Flit replied icily. "Can I continue picking targets?"

"Yes," Grodek replied, mildly surprised at the chill in Flit's tone. "I'll have Steward send you the location of the _Diva _in case you need to repair the Gundam."

"Understood, Razor out." Flit's voice clicked off, and Grodek turned and went over to a nearby computer terminal. Wiping dust away from its surface, he powered it on and plugged in his data key. "Time to pray," he said. "Because if this doesn't work, I'll have run out of options."

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

On the _Diva's _bridge, Onette Cory sat awkwardly at the helm, staring apprehensively out the viewport, where a dozen bedraggled _Sing Lung _passed through the access tunnel. She fidgeted as the two rear vessels began venting smoke as a blaze of orange tinted beam fire struck their engines. The remnants of the fleet reported coming under attack not long after the _Diva's _entry into the fortress. She assumed the invisible armor's smaller units had finally caught up.

The questions now running through her mind were, would these smaller support weapons follow them into the fortress? And more importantly, where did the larger one go? She paused in her thoughts to give the AGE-1 access to the undamaged catapult deck.

Regardless of what happened, she knew she'd need to block the tunnel once the last ship was through. They wouldn't be trapped inside, as there was another way out. Problem was, it was also another way _in. _

* * *

Don Boyage eyed the nearly pitch black corridors of the fortress. The blasted UE had hidden missile launchers and heat rods all over the place, making Ambat's shadowed depths all the more dangerous. A Gafran dashed by, slashing at a Xeno with its beam saber, slicing it in half in a burst of sparks. He spun his Gila around, bringing his mace down on the Gafran's wing, pumping a DODS beam straight into its shoulder armor on the other side. The blast flipped the machine upside down and ripped its armor to pieces. He fired another blast, and backed away into the darkness as it exploded.

The flames illuminated the darkness for five full seconds, long enough for Boyage to see a seething mass of heat rods uncoil from a black opening in the wall and strike.

* * *

"Lord Elfamel," a Zalam soldier said from his nearby Gila, "Don Boyage reports the west passage is blocked by heat rods."

"I should figure," Ract said, dodging a black whip as it sliced past and into a Zila, burying itself in the machine's head. The mooneye burst asunder with an electric pop as the machine collapsed.

"How far until we reach the reactor?" Ract asked, slicing the heat rod apart as it coiled around the Gila. Too many were dying for this escapade to fail now. Too many of his own men, and, while he hated to admit it, Boyage's. _I'm not keen on helping the enemy, but this is getting turned into a slaughter. _He cursed and jumped back from three more rods as they snaked from a hole in the floor, their tips glowing a dim red.

Then a pair of white flashes passed overhead, saffron beam fire erupting all around. Ract dodged the rods and glanced over as Woolf Enneacle gunned his G-Exes up a shaft after a white Gafran.

"Nice to know the White Wolf isn't interested in helping," he growled, blasting the heat rods apart before moving down the corridor. He rounded a corner, beam rifles at the ready. A massive shadow flew past him, coming down on a pair of huge legs and crouched, a huge chest cannon flaring to life and sending a storm of massive beam rounds into the corridor. Ract barely dodged the onslaught, dashing up at the monstrous machine as his mobile suit force disappeared in a series of explosions. The firelight washed over the sleek surface of the Defurse as it raised one of its hands and activated a thick, long beam saber and swung at Ract's Elmeda.

* * *

Trailing sparks, the Genoace F crashed against the wall and limply drifted up toward an opening far above the docking bay floor, hundreds of red-tipped heat rods wriggling menacingly from the entrance. Fox looked down at the Susanoo as it slalomed in like a hornet, eyes flashing orange as it drew its sword. Fox leveled off his beam rifle and fired just as the Susanoo dashed in. The blast seared right through the Gundam's sword arm. Without hesitating, Jaden drew his beam saber and slashed at the Genoace's cannon.

Fox released the last of the verniers' remaining propellant, whipping the Genoace F aside as the Susanoo's saber sliced into the space he occupied a moment before. Then the heat rods were there, slashing wildly at the Susanoo. The black machine slashed three of them away in a series of blinding strokes, long enough for Fox to ram the Susanoo straight into the mass of reaching tentacles.

"No!" Jaden screamed, as the Susanoo began to work, heat rods flying in all directions.

"I'm finishing this," Fox said, more to himself than Jaden. He aimed and fired his beam cannon, the emerald beam streaking into the side of the black Gundam. Sparks flying, the Susanoo spiraled out of the heat rods' reach and dashed against the nearby wall. Fox floated his machine over to the Gundam and opened his Genoace's hatch.

"I'd never thought I would get inside this thing again," he thought as he pressed his hand against the Susanoo. With a flicker of pain from his finger, the hatch swung open, and he stepped inside.

* * *

Flit glanced around the black halls as the Titus floated through. He noticed a series of black whips strike out at him from above and below. The Titus' beam spikes on its shoulders and knees ignited and cut away the heat rods. Flit angled his DODS rifles up at the ceiling and sent beams drilling down the corridor's ceiling to the end of the hall, watching the black wires descend amidst the flames. He smiled in satisfaction. It felt good to burn the annoying wires.

He saw the familiar halo ripple and spun the Titus around, slamming a crimson DODS fist into a Baqto's chest as it dashed at him, beam spikes ignited. A blinding flash flew up between the two, clearing to reveal the UE machine immolating itself. Flit glanced up to see a figure flying up in a hideous black suit from the opened cockpit of the ruined MS. Flit felt a flash of irritation at the surviving enemy and dashed forward, grabbing the small figure in the Gundam's hand and crushing it, spinning the fist in red beam energy to reduce the pilot to stray particles.

Satisfied, Flit let out a breath and continued deeper into the fortress. He was beginning to hate little distractions like that.

* * *

"What in the world?!" He shouted, backflipping his machine away. The saber was long, easily giving the mobile armor a longer reach than his own suit. Ract growled as he detached the Xynelda from the Elmeda's back. The machines parted as the Defurse dashed forward with a blast of light from its numerous back panels, slashing down with its huge beam saber. Ract came in from the right, firing his DODS rifle. The Defurse dashed up at him, and Ract quickly dashed beneath it, throwing away his rifle as the beam slashed into it. As the rifle exploded, he drew the Elmeda's sword and stabbed it at the enemy machine. The blade bounced off and broke.

Ract sent the Elmeda backward as the Xynelda dashed in to block a crossed saber attack from the huge machine.

"I must commend you all for getting this far," Geera Zoi said from the cockpit of the Defurse. "I never anticipated you would sacrifice three of your _Darwins _on the _Splinter._" He sent the Defurse rushing forward.

"So you're the leader?" Ract asked, grabbing the Xynelda as it sent them dashing away, the Defurse' saber narrowly missing its target. "If I slay you here, then your troops will lose their moral." He fired a pair of blasts from the Xynelda's beam rifles.

Geera smiled scornfully as the Defurse sidestepped and fired a round from the beam Gatling at the Elmeda. "Not so. My men do not fear death, they do not waver in the face of my death. I absolutely will not let you go further. I have"-his mind flashed to Arabel's frightened face-"a treasure here I must keep safe."

Ract spun to let the Xynelda take the blasts on its shield, which finally gave way under the onslaught. Ract detached the machine as it sparked and blew apart. "A treasure? I'm intrigued."

"You will not defeat the power of the Nanos-zsells," Geera replied with a smile. "Nor will your archaic mobile suit defeat the Defurse."

* * *

Fox found Jaden struggling inside the Susanoo, the mobile suit still flailing away as its pilot tried to extricate his hands from the controls, which had now moved up to his forearms.

"It hurts!" Jaden shouted at Fox through gritted teeth, eyes glittering with murder. "Get out!" The control panel let out a blaring alarm. "You can't take me from this! You have no idea how the controls work!" He laughed harshly as the Susanoo threw the Genoace F back and blew it apart with a beam rifle blast.

"Oh I know perfectly well how it works," Fox said, "and you know it too." The beeping grew deafening as Fox produced a combat knife and cut away the silvery mesh from his brother's arms. The metal seemed to start liquefying, repairing the wound. Fox yanked Jaden's hands away with a grunt. His brother jerked and went limp, his eyes going dull.

"That's it," Fox said gently, pulling his brother out of the seat. "Just take it slow."

"I can't see," Jaden began muttering, holding his hands up. "My hands I can't feel them."

"You'll recover your sight soon," Fox replied. "Your hands are a different story." He looked at the controls, which were still flashing wildly. Sucking in his lower lip, Fox reached forward and pressed his burning finger into the controls. "Stop your wailing," Fox commanded.

The alarm ceased instantly, and the Susanoo floated in space expectantly.

* * *

"Lord Geera!" An officer called from the Defurse' monitor. Geera Zoi didn't look as he continued down the hall, eyes trained on the Elmeda as it fled deeper into Ambat's interior. "Then enemy has hacked past our last safeguard, they have penetrated our network and have shut down all defenses surrounding the control center."

"Be patient," Geera replied, stopping the Defurse. "I am heading back as we speak." He wheeled the hulking Defurse around, opened a hatchway in the floor, then sent the mobile armor into the shaft, visor releasing a cyan glow to light the way. Just as he reached the bottom of the passage, he turned a corner and stalked by a thick steel hatch guarding the reactor room. A pair of guns left by the old Federation trained on him before turning away and blasting at a machine rushing headlong at them from the opposite corridor.

Geera turned the Defurse around to see the red Titus Gundam slam headlong into the mobile armor with its shoulder spikes. Grinding his teeth in surprise, Geera ignited the Defurse' beam sabers and slashed at the Gundam, which dashed aside as energy swirled around its forearms and fists. Geera sent the Defurse backpedaling, firing its Gatling. "So, come and face me, X-Rounder!" The doorway to the reactor core opened, not on Geera's command, and a pair of Gafrans stalked out, firing their machineguns.

"You're the leader aren't you!?" Flit screamed, shouldering the first UE suit aside, impaling it with the shoulder spikes. The second Gafran lit up its visor and fired its tail cannon, but the Titus dashed aside and fired its DODS rifles, blowing the machine apart. The Defurse rushed in as the turrets began firing again, Geera signaling for the hatch to seal itself.

Blocked by the fire from the turrets, Flit watched as the Defurse passed into the reactor room and the door began to shut. He felt something snap as he saw the enemy commander's suit disappearing behind the closing metal doors. "I'm not done with you!" He shouted, swiveling the shoulder Gatling cannons around to wipe the turrets out in a single barrage. With a flash of exhaust, the Titus reached the hatch and began prying it open. The mechanical joints screeched in protest, then with a groan the doors opened and Flit sent the red Gundam dashing through amidst a sudden barrage of firepower from the Defurse.

"You got far, I'll give you praise for that tenacity," Geera said, firing from the beam guns on the Defurse' arms. One blast struck the Titus' left shoulder shell, blowing it off.

Flit continued on, the Titus undaunted even as the third beam cannon swiveled up between the mobile armor's legs and fired off a shot that removed the Gundam's right horn. "You've taken too much for us to lose now!" Flit screamed with rage. His eyes widened as he saw his mother dying again, Bruzar's words of encouragement flickering in his mind. Then there was Yurin's burnt and ruined form as the Baqto sinisterly drug her back into the darkness.

"Do you realize how many people you've _taken from me_," He roared, firing the DODS rifles one after another. The Defurse nimbly dashed up, then down again toward the floor, firing back with its three beam guns as its chest cannon swelled with light.

"This thing is surprisingly nimble, those adjustments really did the trick," Geera laughed as the Psychomet kicked in and forced his hands to move on their own. The Defurse easily avoided the Titus' shots, even its remaining Gatling. "And what about _my _revenge?" He yelled back to Flit, firing a gigantic beam from the Defurse' main cannon. The blast shook the entire room, fragmenting the surrounding floor.

The Titus slammed against the wall, Flit screaming a battlecry as he pushed the Titus off and charged for the Defurse as Geera ignited its massive beam sabers and sped at him, firing its lower beam cannon and Gatling. Flit saw the ruins of the school room from Orvan all those years ago, filled with the dead. "You crush people with your monstrous mobile suits and slaughter colonies like they were rats in a cage!" The two met in a flash of sparks as the Titus batted the blades aside with its lariat rings.

"What would you know of _that_?" Geera shot back. "I've been watching loved ones die in front of me too. And it is all _your _kind's fault! Earthrace!" The Defurse sped backward, slashing diagonally with its long reaching blade. "I'm no crueler than your own rulers." Geera said, firing the Gatling to force the Titus back. "Why not hate them, Cleansing was _their _idea."

The Titus rushed around the hail of beam fire, sending twin drilling beams into the enemy's cannon, which sparked and went silent. "No. No you're worse than them! You turned a kid like Decil into a demon. You involved a sweet, innocent girl like Yurin! Care to explain that!?" Flit roared, coming down hard with a DODS fist onto the Defurse' left shoulder armor, blowing the whole arm off. The Defurse whipped upside down, kicking the Titus back and firing with its beam cannons, the blasts searing into the red Gundam's armor.

"She was just a resource for Decil," Geera snapped back, "That Yark Dole Briar didn't have the willpower to use her properly. And how is that different from what Grodek Ainoa is doing to you?" He lowered the Defurse' head and rushed up, bringing down its remaining saber. "_Well?! _You know you're just his pet X-Rounder!" The Defurse lunged backward, firing from its beam cannons.

"Be quiet!" Flit screamed. "Grodek is an old friend! He's not like _you._" He somersaulted under the blasts and fired a pair of drilling DODS blasts into the large binder on the Defurse' back. It sparked and the Defurse slammed against the ceiling with a shudder. "You not only took Yurin once! But now you've spirited her away!" The Titus ignited the beam weapons across its body, a field of swirling energy flying around it. "Give her back! Give Yurin back to me," Flit roared, flying up to ram the Defurse in the chest with the beam emitter output force up past its maximum setting.

Geera screamed as the control panel exploded in a surge of power. Knocking pieces of glass away, he opened the Defurse' cockpit and sped away from the sparking machine.

Flit turned to see his enemy fleeing and punched the Defurse in its main cannon one more time before darting aside as it blew apart in a thunderous explosion. He charged down, DODS fist spinning with a vortex of crimson energy. Geera reached a door and slipped inside; the hatch closed behind him. Flit slammed the fist into the door, blowing it away, then hopped out of the Gundam with a pop-hiss from its hatch, clutching a gun Woolf had wisely advised he bring.

Checking to make sure it was loaded, Flit activated the rocket pack on his back and dashed in after Geera.

* * *

With a shudder, the white Gafran flew between a pair of fuel pipes and crumpled against the wall, armor pitted and scarred from numerous near-fatal blows from the G-Exes' blade. With a smile, Woolf drew back his beam longsaber and plunged it into the UE suit's chest. Woolf withdrew the blade and sped away as the machine sparked and finally burst into flame. That was that. He'd played his part in the mobile suit fight, now it was time to join the landing party.

A few minutes later, Woolf touched down into a dark hallway, clutching an assault rifle. He hated infantry work, it was definitely not his style. He turned a corner and leapt back as a pair of UE in green helmeted normal suits pointed their beam rifles and fired.

* * *

"No one move!" Grodek commanded, leveling his assault rifle off as he stepped into Ambat's control room. The workers at their stations didn't budge, all of them working feverishly at their control booths. "Stop what you are doing and raise your hands in the air," he shot one of the nearest workers, but it produced so much effect on the other workers he might as well have quashed a fly instead.

"What is wrong with them?" He asked Milias and Adams as they stepped in after him. "We can't let them keep working, or the mecha will be brought back online."

Another door on the opposite end of the hallway slid open, and Geera Zoi floated into the room, stepping onto a holographic display, which wavered and faded away into a circular map board. "They no longer fear death," Geera said confidently.

Grodek turned in growing horror as the wounded soldier reached out a hand weakly and began working at the console despite the wound, which the normal suit had apparently sealed on its own. "What have you done to them?" He turned back to the UE commander and narrowed his eyes, rifle swinging up, "Geera Zoi."

"So you've heard of me," Geera said with a cold smile.

"Fourteen years ago, on the Day Angel Fell, you came to Earth and destroyed the colony," Grodek said, his voice laced with growing anger. "Angel was my home. It had no military base, yet you and the Special Forces targeted it and murdered my wife and daughter."

"Forgive me for not choosing another one," Geera replied bitterly. "But you're one to talk. You have no idea how much we've suffered at Mars. You heard Lord Ezelcant's speech. Would you heartlessly cast aside our plight just because we followed your own government's edicts?"

"Yes we would," Flit yelled, rushing in with a hiss from the door, gun pointed at Geera's back. "You're maniacs, who think of people like animals. You're not human, you don't deserve to be!"

"What have you done with your soldiers?" Milias asked a second time. "There's something _off _about them."

"So you had another X-Rounder, Grodek Ainoa?" Geera laughed. "I will tell you. This is the secret technology we discovered hidden within the archives on the Vega Database. They are called Nanos-zsells. With these I can turn my soldiers into loyal warriors who will storm the Earth sphere without care for injury or death, and with fighting strength equal or even superior to an X-Rounder." He raised his hands with a grin. "And I've already killed the one man at the Earth Sphere who could have reverse-engineered this power for you; Aren Takeo."

"Aren Takeo," Grodek said, his face darkening. "So that's the real reason why you went to Madorna's Workshop. I thought it was suspicious for you to outsource your materials development."

"You're a smart man as I thought," Geera laughed scornfully, "although I used the parts they made to upgrade my Defurse for the invasion. Sadly that has fallen by the wayside," he gestured down at a floating purple holographic button. A moment later, a screen appeared, showing the island of New Mazatlan, the skyscrapers of Brucia hidden within pillars of smoke. "I need to take control of my forces before Big Ring arrives. Won't you join us?" He held out a hand.

"What?" Flit screamed, taking a step forward. "Shut up if you won't say anything intelligent."

"Why not?" Geera said, pushing toward Grodek; Milias and Adams took a step forward on either side of their captain, rifles at the ready. "You can have revenge at last on the Special Forces," he continued. "You understand why I sought revenge, you cannot blame me, Grodek Ainoa for are the same. The Special Forces and the Federation are the true killers. You know that. Join Vagan and bring down this corrupted shade of the Axis Federation and avenge your family."

"We'll never side with you!" Flit screamed, stepping closer until the pistol was almost jammed against Geera's back. "You're not humans beings anymore, you can't be after all you've done—to your own people!"

Silence pervaded, then Flit widened his eyes in disbelief as Grodek lowered his rifle.

* * *

"What are you _doing_?" Jaden Takeo cried in disbelief as Fox floated over and threw on his helmet, the visor sealing shut as the hatch opened and the vacuum sucked him into space.

"Fixing my mistake," Fox retorted. "I don't blame you or Dad for the Nanos-zsells, those are my fault."

"What?" Jaden wasn't talking about Fox, his eyes were riveted on the three remaining transports, still busily rescuing the other survivors from the ships the brothers managed to bring down. Six crimson beams sped from the exit, blasting one of the transports in its wounded side and ripping it apart. A brown colored mobile armor swept inside, six beam cannons firing at the transports, shoulder shells opening to reveal several smaller, crab-like versions of itself, each pouring orange beam energy at the stunned UE vessels.

With a sudden jerk, the larger of the machines swung toward the Susanoo, its red mooneye flashing to life.

"It must sense the Nanos-zsells," Fox said from within the Susanoo's cockpit. He hung his head with resignation, placing his hands into the control spaces. The silver metal slowly encased his palms. The Susanoo protested against his command, rejecting the new controller as it turned and reached for Jaden with its remaining manipulator. "No you don't, this is the end of you," Fox growled. With sheer force of will, he sent the Susanoo backward, even as it reached for its preferred pilot. Fox angled the Gundam back toward the corridor from which he entered the hanger.

"Wait—what are you doing?" Demanded Jaden with a shout as the Susanoo dashed into the entryway in a red flash, drawing its beam saber to cut a swath through the slashing heat rods.

"Making a path," Fox retorted with a gruff laugh, "what's it look like?"

"But the Susanoo!" Jaden yelled, watching the heat rods tearing his father's machine to pieces. "I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to it!" He screamed. "Fox!"

The Susanoo tore apart a mass of the writhing weapons, Fox turned to look back at Jaden. He deserved the truth, at least. Especially when he learned what damage had been done to his hands.

"The Nanos-zsell system was my fault," his voice sounded bitter with shame. "Dad never wanted to add it to the Gundam, but I insisted I could handle it, and put it in when he wasn't looking after reading over the schematics for his Zedas."

Jaden grabbed his wire-gun, pulling himself toward the corridor as the heat rods wrapped about the Susanoo's legs and head, ripping them off.

"I messed up and nearly killed myself. He gave in and finished the system, but wouldn't let me use it again." The Susanoo unleashed a final blast of light from the binder on its back, slashing the surrounding vines away, glowing seams appearing in its armor. Jaden gritted his teeth as his fingers flared up with pain, the sensors in the Nanos-zsells implanted there detecting the Gundam's demise. "Stop it Fox!" He yelled, drawing back from the entrance as a heat rod blew apart in a burst of electricity.

"I used it anyway and there I was, not much better off than you. After…we never really spoke again after that. When you started using the Susanoo, it was too late, don't blame yourself." The Susanoo slashed away the vines near the edge of the entrance, then turned back and with a dying shudder, sped into the hallway even as the mobile armors rushed in, spewing beam fire.

"I should have come clean. I guess I still felt a little guilty and a little mad at him." Jaden heard a smile in his voice.

"It's not too late, jettison the cockpit!" Jaden screamed into his helmet's comm. His eyes went wide with horror. "Fox! Don't get yourself killed over this!" He looked down at his shaking hands, the Susanoo still reaching out for him to return to its cockpit.

"You'll be free. Both of us," Fox said after a moment. "I'm a coward, I don't think I could face Mom and Amy with a story like that on your lips"-his voice disappeared in a thunderous crackle.

Ears deafened, hands suddenly pulsating as if on fire, Jaden screamed and threw himself into the hanger as a wave of fire jetted from the corridor. Two of the mobile armors lanced from the flame, pitted and smoking as they raced back to the waiting master armor floating patiently amidst the burning shrapnel of the transports. After retrieving its child machines, the monstrous armor turned and sped deeper into the fortress.

* * *

"Captain Grodek," Flit said, his voice one of disbelief as he looked at Grodek's lowered firearm. "What's wrong? You can't possibly believe _him_."

"He's right," Adams said, stepping away from Grodek, "You promised to destroy the UE, not wage a rebellion against the whole Federation."

Milias stood to the side, apparently unsure what to do. "Captain, you don't really believe this freak do you?"

"I want a world free of injustice," Grodek said, his voice one of deep bitterness. He looked down at the floor, "I spent the last sixteen years of my life plotting _every second_ to reach this moment. And now it feels like I wasted all that time. What else is there if I don't finish what I started against the Federation? There are still those out there who want to destroy. And look at Flit, I've turned him into a disciple of this destructive path I've walked."

"I knew you would see the light," Geera said with a smile of victory. "Brucia and Big Ring will fall, and with them, the Federation will crumble. I am prepared to move Ambat as we speak. It will easily reinforce our troops over South America, victory is nigh at last! After a hundred years of desperation! We will be returned to our rightful home!" He pumped his fist into the air, one of the guards spun around, bringing up a Vagan style pistol, its barrel pointed at Adams, who was forced to lower his gun.

"You _can't _do this," Adams protested to Grodek. "Not after coming this far. I know you're better than this!"

"Better?" Grodek asked. "Adams. What is the right side? Do you know? Because I'm not sure myself."

"If you won't kill him then _I will,_" Flit snarled, pressing the gun to the back of Geera's head.

"No!" Milias cried. "Stop him Grodek!"

"No," Geera suddenly spun, grabbing the pistol and jerking it up to his forehead. "Do it, child. Do the same thing to my son my people did to you. See if it brings anyone you've lost back from the grave. Because let me tell you, it hasn't yet for me and it never will for you either."

Flit closed his eyes and squeezed the trigger.

* * *

Woolf jumped aside as a glowing gemlike object the size of his thumb flew past and lit the area with a dazzling light. He rose to find a crater just in front of his feet. Shivering, he got up and dashed toward the corridor, firing as the remaining UE soldier dashed around the corner, beam rifle blazing. Woolf tossed a grenade at the enemy, angling it into the stream of green bolts.

He covered his face as a second explosion filled his vision. When he looked up, he saw the soldier floating idly toward him, his helmet broken to pieces in a trail behind him. Grodek hesitantly approached and looked down to see the face of a young man no older than himself. Grodek stopped the body and hesitated before closing the lids over the other man's dead eyes. He began to turn around, but hesitated as his eyes fell on the necklace around the soldier's neck.

* * *

The shout of an assault rifle rang through the room. Flit opened his eyes to find his own pistol still fully loaded. He looked up to see Geera's shocked face float past, his back riddled with bullet holes. His suit sealed them shut with a squirt of blood and he sank near one of the far consoles on the other end of the room. Flit turned to find the UE soldier floating idly, his own suit covered in sealing holes, Milias' rifle still pointed at the enemy.

Grodek Ainoa's weapon was aimed straight forward however, at the still gasping Geera, who's face still held an expression of disbelief. "In the end, I couldn't conquer my hatred for your people," Grodek declared as he came to stand over Geera, Flit coming to float by his side. "If the Federation will change, it shall be others who change it, not me. My story ends here with you."

"Heh-uh," Geer wheezed something and then pressed the little holographic key floating faithfully in front of his palm. "Arabel, get away," he gasped. Flit raised his pistol and fired. Geera twisted around as the bullet struck his head, but it didn't pierce into his skull. He flew back, a bloody groove carved into the side of his head where his ear used to be. The worker beside him finished tapping something and then stood rigid at attention. Geera smiled and turned back to face Grodek and Flit, his eyes distant. "It's over. You should have chosen justice, Grodek Ainoa…Lord Ezelcant, use the time I've bought, bring our people home," his eyes dimmed and his voice died into silence.

"Did that satisfy you?" Grodek asked, turning to Flit, his face unreadable.

Flit didn't respond, his eyes still locked on Geera's corpse.

"I shouldn't have let you come, you were right Milias," Grodek said, grabbing Flit and pulling him away just as alarms began to blare. The consoles lit up, and far away the sound of an explosion rippled through the depths of the station. "Come, Geera has one final trick up his sleeve," Grodek commanded.

"Father! What's going on? Those alarms"-Arabel Zoi stopped in disbelief at the sight of his father floating by the door, his blood trickling out in a cloud about his face. He spun around with a gasp as Grodek came up to him.

"I am Grodek Ainoa, I killed your father," he said emotionlessly, his eyes boring mercilessly into Arabel's. "Your life will now forever be haunted by the specter of revenge. Welcome to the world your father and I have lived in for most of our lives." He gave Arabel one final glare and turned to go. "Flit, get back to the Gundam and get out of here. This place could blow any moment."

Flit turned to go, stopped by the door as he contemplated shooting Arabel too. It would be better, he felt. Then he saw Milias' face across the room, watching him sadly. Flit turned back to Arabel and growled, then went through the doors.

After they had gone, Arabel folded his father's hands over his chest and turned to go. He wouldn't disappoint Grodek Ainoa. He would _never _forget.

* * *

Leaving a trail of sparks in its wake, Largan's Genoace Custom dodged a furious blast from the purple Baqto's chest cannon as it dashed through the debris after him.

A broad smile crossed Zanald Beiheart's face. "You're luck's run out, buddy." He trained the targeting reticle over the Genoace and fired his machineguns.

Largan sent the Genoace through a dizzying dive through a mass of debris to avoid the incoming fire, his Genoace's upper limbs ended in stumps at the shoulders, so his options looked like they were running out. He looked out to see UE mines ricocheting off the debris after a group of fleeing EUBA and Zalam suits, all battle-damaged in some way. The mines struck them one by one, blasting them to atoms. Throwing his comrades' deaths aside for the moment, Largan smiled grimly, this kid's weakness was his inexperience. With a smile, he dashed toward the dying fireballs, twisting into a tortuous route as Zanald fired another round of blasts from his Baqto.

* * *

Woolf carefully removed the young man's necklace, holding up the carving on the blue stone. He tried to keep it steady, but his fingers began to tremble.

"I'm getting old," he said to himself with a mirthless laugh. "It couldn't be _hers." _But it was the same kind of necklace his wife wore all the same. How did a UE soldier come across it?

"That's obvious," Woolf answered himself with a shudder. Suddenly alarms began blaring, and he heard the distinct sound of a reactor going critical. An explosion sent a gust of burning hot air into his face from a shaft above. Clinching his fist around the pendant, Woolf turned and let the tempest carry him back to his waiting mobile suit. He knew where his wife's roots lay now, and he had a pretty good idea of where she went. A memory surfaced of Yark Dole Briar standing outside the house, offering him a tract explaining the corruption of the Federation.

Woolf narrowed his eyes. "At the time I thought he was just a leftover from a Halloween party, but I think I need to have another talk with him. He's got some answers I need."

Another thought entered his mind, and turned his stomach to lead. The sight of Decil's honey gold eyes stared at him unblinking. Decil had her eyes _and _her red hair, if there was just the slightest chance he was going to dive for it; although half of him desperately wanted it to all be wild assumptions.

Woolf put the necklace over his head and closed his machine's cockpit hatch. It was time to ask Decil some very important questions.

"If he's still alive," he reminded himself grimly.

* * *

Dashing past a field of glowing shrapnel, Largan past a mine waiting in the shadows of a jagged asteroid. "Come on," Largan muttered, watching the mine light up and dart into the wake of the Genoace's exhaust. He whipped the Genoace Custom around in an arc, back to face Zanald's purple Baqto as it sped in after him, moving slowly with its only remaining wing.

"Coming back to fight me with no arms!" Zanald laughed inside his machine. "Given up?"

"You haven't noticed," Largan retorted, dashing aside as Zanald lunged at him with the Baqto's chest spikes. Largan glanced behind him at the mine, then grabbed the purple machine's arm in a scissor with the Genoace's legs.

"What are you"-Zanald stopped and leaned forward in sudden disbelief as the mine rushed toward the entangled mobile suits.

Largan ignited the Genoace's thruster and spun the Baqto into the blast as the mine detonated.

Inside the cockpit of his Baqto, Zanald screamed and threw up his hands—the flames engulfed the machine, scoring its armor.

Blackened and pitted with burning craters, the Baqto flew back from the force of the blast and slammed like a pinball into the asteroid field, losing pieces of its armor each time it struck a boulder. Coming to a rest by a large asteroid, the Baqto shuddered and went silent. Its visor line flashed as it irised open and ejected the blue escape pod inside. Zanald groaned and looked up to find Largan's Genoace floating over him, its own armor half melted from the explosion. A container on the side of its hip armor popped open and released a black cylindrical object.

"A grenade," Zanald grabbed the controls frantically, only to remember he was free of his ruined mobile suit. "Hey, pilot, you won. Let's call it square," he shot into the comm., his voice growing desperate. "Come on, I'm just a kid remember." He looked up at the Genoace hopefully.

Largan started backing the Genoace away, looking down disdainfully at his defeated foe. "Mercy has no place here, if I recall."

The grenade clinked against the Baqto, washing it away in a burst of light.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

"You can't be serious," Lalaparly Madorna said from across the chair's armrest monitor, brows furrowed in disbelief. "It could kill the landing force."

"I've notified Boyage and Ract," Onette Cory responded, desperately trying to keep her voice steady even as her hands and fingers shook into jelly. "Captain Grodek's teem too. We have to stop it, otherwise it'll continue attacking until we're dead."

"But you have no guarantee that it will destroy it."

"I'm trying to trap it, not take it out," Cory replied. "Now is the cannon powered up or not?"

"Yes but"-

-Cory shut off the comm. and took a calming breath to steady her hands as she angled the _Diva _into firing position. The sensor board in front of her indicated the invisible mobile armor as it moved through the fortress interior from the rearward docking bay, coming fast and straight at the ship. She hadn't been able to muster the courage to join the landing group, but Cory refused to let that make her useless. As the blip reached a small room near Ambat's center, she pressed the trigger—a blast of blinding light flew from the _Diva's _Photon cannon and speared into the walls.

* * *

It came from around the corner just as the walls shook violently. Either Cory fired the Photon cannon at the phantom armor, or Ambat's self-destruct had decided to kick it up a notch. All Milias felt from her budding X-Rounder powers was the danger rushing at them in the form of a mechanoid, firing its miniature beam machinegun from what passed as its mouth.

She dived to the floor, using her magnet tipped palms to secure herself from rebounding, before the rest of the party even registered the attack; sending up the first spray of fire at the enemy's joints. She lobbed a grenade as Adams and Stewart fell to the floor and joined their rifles to the firepower. Two more men fell, screaming as smoking holes appeared along their torsos. The UE mechanoid leapt over the fire and deployed its combat claws. Grodek fell back around a corner and began training his sharp aim on the robot's hips. The machine turned its gun on him.

Stewart saw his chance, dashing forward to plant an EMP grenade at its head, then leapt away, narrowly dodging the machine's deadly claws. A blue flash halted the mechanoid in its tracks, but it soon recovered and leapt forward, tearing into the retreating force. The remaining two crew members fell, screaming as the saurian robot tore open their intestines with its fore and hind claws. Milias was last around the corner, but Grodek tackled her to the floor, saving her from a sweeping slash. The robot swung its tail around, knocking Grodek back. Milias shouted for him over a sudden roar. Fire erupted around the corner, hurling her back with a rush of hot air.

Then Grodek fired his wire-gun past her and reeled himself by, taking her by the arm as they sped further into the corridor, where Adams was leading the wire. They squeezed past a seething mass of floating debris, dodging sparking wires torn from their holdings in the ceiling. As they crossed an open room to the lift leading back to the _Diva, _she felt her ears pop at an even greater pulse of danger amidst the other threatening feelings rushing through her mind. She spun to find the mechanoid bounding off the walls after them, sparking but still functional.

All four of them reached the elevator at the same time. Stewart activated the lift switch, only to find the lift unresponsive.

"What's wrong now?" Adams yelled, firing his assault rifle to knock the mechanoid's aim away from the others. One blast struck Stewart, sending him to the back of the lift, his normal suit smoking.

"The self-destruct system," Grodek muttered into his helmet's earpiece. "Typical. Adams, Milias, take care of Stewart, I'll have to activate the lift from the terminal." With that, he fired his wire-gun over to a nearby control panel.

"Captain!" Milias yelled, Adams grabbing her back as she tried to follow. Then the mechanoid was there, hacking at them. Adams jammed the lift's latticework door in the way, stopping the machine's claws. Then both he and Milias split up on either end of the lift, firing their rifles. The blasts hurled the machine back, but with a flash of light it righted itself and then to their surprise, darted after Grodek.

With feverish breath, Grodek fired off a burst to drive the robot back, then whirled around to finish overriding the system. If his plan was to work, this was his last opportunity. The mechanoid seemed to realize he had nearly finished, and sped at full speed for the lift, blasting away with its machinegun. Grodek cursed and leapt after the mechanoid—behind him, the system finally gave in, opening an airlock near the room's corner.

Adams and Milias backed to the edge of the wall, their magazines nearly empty. The mechanoid finally ripped open the latticework and trained its guns on Adams. Then suddenly Grodek tackled the mechanoid, using his wire-gun to pull them both back. "Try it now!" Grodek yelled into his earpiece as the mechanoid spun and slashed his chest. Blood droplets spattered both of them.

"We aren't leaving you," Adams yelled.

"It's too late to turn back," Grodek whispered at them as the timer he set on the terminal reached zero.

Milias and Adams watched helplessly as the lift shot up, whisking them away from Grodek's sight.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

"I'm taking over!" Adams snapped, pushing past Cory, who happily surrendered the helm.

"Where's the captain?" Cory asked, feeling her insides jerk. "Milias? Is he-

-left behind," Milias interrupted, tuning Cory's sudden disbelief out of her mind as she set to work. Woolf and Flit had met up somewhere inside the fortress, and a message said they'd picked up Jaden Takeo. That left Fox, Lhuga and—her fingers stopped cold as she stared at the screen. _Signal lost. _

"Largan."

* * *

With a flash of exhaust, the Titus and G-Exes sped from the fortress, a column of fire pursuing them outside. They dashed to safety, glancing around to see the _Diva _exiting with its contingent of _Sing-Lung, _and Ract Elfamel's _Horizon _fleeing another hanger.

They were out. Inside the red Gundam, Flit heaved a sigh and let himself relax into the pilot's seat. Behind him, a series of cracks opened with sheets of fire, breaking Ambat apart. Flit watched it with a sense of peace. Emily was safe inside the _Diva, _tending to Vargas, Woolf was here, and the others—well, he believed in their ability to survive. The Takeo boy had received some kind of wound to his hands, but Flit filed that away along with all the other sacrifices. He held his own wounded hand and watched the crumbling stronghold.

* * *

The mechanoid slammed him against the wall, then Grodek's computer key activated, chiming in his headset to alert him of its success. The mechanoid slashed again, its beam machinegun having finally run out of ammunition. The slash struck his shoulder, but only punctured his combat suit's thick material. "Shut down _all _defensive measures"-he lunged away from a second attack. "All of them!"

The mechanoid's visor line went dead with a dying mechanical drone and went motionless. With a smile, Grodek moved safely away and applied some birdlime bandages to seal his suit. With a hiss, the airlock's second door slid open as his key, acting as a guidance beacon, finally beeped to confirm his ride had arrived. The wind yanked Grodek out into cold space. Floating idly ahead, the _Diva's _shuttle waited patiently. Grodek entered the cockpit and deactivated its transmission beacon.

He glanced up at the _Diva, _his heart aching to be with his ship again, to congratulate Milias and Adams for a job well done, to tell Flit he was proud of him, and warn him about the path he was walking before it was too late. But that was something he could not do. With all the debris, his vessel was essentially untraceable. And he—Grodek Ainoa—was dead.

* * *

Behind the Titus, the fortress finally blew apart in a brilliant starburst. Flit's senses flared to life. He glanced around anxiously. Then he saw it, the ruins of the Zedas, languidly drifting with the wreckage. It was a demon that haunted his nightmares since Nora. He only wished he defeated it sooner. Flit turned back to the darkness of space as the hot tears of frustration clawed their way past his eyelids.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Milias fought the urge to let the tears flow as the mix of emotions swirled inside her. Ambat disappeared before her eyes in a sea of flames, taking so many she loved with it. She looked away. But it was done, and now never again would the world suffer by Geera Zoi's hands. She stopped as she noticed something on her sensor board. "A shuttle."

"Something wrong?" Adams called from the helm, his voice heavy and exhausted now that the adrenaline had drained away.

"No," Milias sighed, looking at the blank transmission list, where the alerts indicated that Largan, Lhuga and Fox weren't coming back. "Only a fluke. It showed our shuttle's signal for a split second."

* * *

"Blast, the beacon isn't working," Largan muttered. He threw the panel back and gave up fiddling with the Genoace Custom's ruined circuitry. He stepped out of the machine and drifted into space. The Genoace served him well, but it looked like this was the end. No one would find him, and the shrapnel from Ambat flying around him at the speed of a projectile would eventually claim his pilot's suit.

Then a Federation shuttle came into view and pulled up alongside. Largan gasped in surprise as Grodek stepped out of a hatchway and helped him through the open hatch.

A few minutes passed as Grodek angled the shuttle toward Ract Elfamel's flagship, the _Horizon. _Before Largan decided to ask what in the world they were doing, a black ship rose up nearby, its thrusters almost invisible in the void. Grodek smiled over at Largan as he angled the shuttle toward the black _Darwin. _"Ract has some friends in the shadows. I think it's time we paid them a visit."

* * *

"It burns."

Yark Dole Briar glanced down at the limp form of Yurin L'Ciel. He applied what immediate care he could, and sighed with relief when he found the wounds were terminal—which meant he would reach the _Fa Raza _in time to save her. The fact that she lived at all was a relief, because for the first ten minutes, he could have sworn he rescued a corpse. "I know it hurts," he said soothingly, barely touching the burn on her shoulder. "We're almost back to my ship."

"His heart, burning," Yurin muttered to herself, before falling back silent again. She shuddered and tightened her fists, as if in pain.

"_You've made a mortal foe of Flit Asuno," _that voice mocked him from inside his head. Yark Dole willed the apparition away. He'd saved Yurin. _Twice. Asuno should be _thanking _me._

A blip caught his attention. He glanced down to find his sensors detecting a series of umbrella cloak bubbles, identical to the kind used by _Fa Bose. _But there were no Vagan ships in this quadrant. Otherwise Geera would have summoned for them or sent them to Earth.

"How strange," he muttered, as the unknown vessels drew back and vanished from his sensors. The green ripple flashed with warning, and he pressed his Baqto onward all the faster.

He suddenly halted his machine, now outside the Uzalt debris cluster. His ship floated before him in a cloud of shrapnel, darkened and lifeless. He smiled bitterly as a pair of ironic words floated into his mind.

_Unknown Enemy. _

* * *

**AG116, March 1****st****-Earth Sphere, **_**Fa Bose **_**class battleship **_**Nidhogg**_

Nixean McArver pressed his lips together and finally issued the command everyone on the bridge dreaded to hear, "All forces withdraw. We retreat to Fardain."

Ambat had been destroyed one day earlier, during the first hour of February 29th, the day that was supposed to be the final stage of Blue Fall. The people of the Earth were in turmoil, but the support amidst the military of Earth had been less than stellar. Perhaps if Geera hadn't distorted the plan to involve the massacre of Brucia, instead of the clean takeover Ezelcant envisioned, things would be going different. But then again, without Geera's sharp intellect the UE had no mind capable of coordinating a war. Only his good sense to establish a base at Fardain left the UE with a place to return to.

Slowly closing his eyes in resignation, Nixean turned about and left the bridge to the helm's Technician. Ambat took the Defurse and Lorma with it too, not to mention the _Nidhogg's _sister ship. It was going to be a long wait before he could expect reinforcements. And all because of one vengeful man who lost his family to Operation Cleansing. Geera Zoi's own vengeance had caught up with him, it seemed.

* * *

The pair of mechanicians stared up at the battered Gafran, fighting to hold back the contents of their stomachs. They turned at the sound of footsteps to see the mobile suit's pilot, and felt their stomachs churn even more.

Zeheart Galette did his best to ignore their looks of horror, setting his face into a neutral frown. _I'm a monster, I can't blame them for being scared. _He reasoned, trying to forget that awful nickname the other pilots had given him. That set his eyes looking up at the Gafran.

One of the workers coughed awkwardly. "Master Zeheart, we were just preparing to apply a new coat. What color?"

The boy's eyes roved over the dried blood and gore on the Gafran, coating its grayed armor dull red with splotches of pink paste. It was worse for him. Unlike the ignorant mechanicians, he remembered what most of those people looked like, before he—_I tortured them. _He wouldn't lie to himself. He couldn't, not with that horrible coat. This was the reality of war. It scared him. It scared him to think of becoming that bad again. He narrowed his eyes determinedly. He would not soon forget either.

"Red. Paint it red." He said, remembering half-humouredly that his favorite color was blue. But now when he thought of that color, all he saw was that Genoace. The Zeheart of that day was long gone.

"Are-are you sure that's what you want?" The older mechanic asked, glancing back at the gruesome remains on the machine.

Zeheart turned and began to walk away. "I'm the Blood Dragon, after all."

* * *

**Big Ring, the **_**Diva**_

The bridge crew stood at attention as the dull blue coated officers of the Investigation Bureau filed onto the bridge, the long faced commander at their head giving the room a steady sweep of his gaze. "On the grounds of treason and mutiny, I hereby place"-the main screen above the viewport flickered to life, startling the bridge crew as well as the Federation officers.

Grodek's face stared at them from across the screen. "I am Captain Grodek Ainoa of the _Diva. _Originally, I planned submit myself to the authorities and explain my case. In the event of my death however, this recording shall have to suffice." The image paused for a moment, as if waiting.

"Captain," Adams whispered. "So you are still watching out for us."

"First, I would like to make it clear that the crew of the _Diva _had no foreknowledge of my actions. Until we arrived at Minsry, all aboard believed I was acting on behalf of Captain Fonroid, who I led them to believe perished fighting the UE at Nora. Even at Minsry, only the bridge crew discovered the truth. I threatened them with the lives of the refugee Norans however, and they finally submitted. During the entire affair, they not once believed Operation Cleansing was true, although they knew better to question me, for the sake of their family at Nora. Two of our crew, Lino Resin and Walt Bedd attempted to seize the ship from me, but I disposed of them publicly as an example."

The recording paused and Milias and Adams saw him muster all the authority he possessed. "The assault on Ambat and alliance of EUBA and Zalam was my full and total responsibility."

Inside the darkness of her cabin, Milias typed away at her computer. There was a knock, and Woolf entered without waiting. She looked up. "Do you need something?"

Woolf stared at her for a moment, then looked away.

"Here to vent your disappointment about not finding Decil? Flit said you looked for him."

"It's not that," Woolf said, standing up to his full height. "I wanted to know how you were doing."

"I'm not being court-marshaled." She said, eyes boring into his. After she realized he wasn't going to leave, she sat back in her chair and folded her arms. To her disbelief, a smile crept across her lips. "Going to stand here alone in my room with me, or are you going to ask me for a cup of hot chocolate in the mess?"

Woolf blushed slightly and put his hands in his pockets. "Never mind, it's nothing. Really." He turned toward the door, paused at the threshold. "He really did love you. Don't go forgetting it," and let the door shut before she could respond, leaving her in the darkness.

Milias sank into the chair with a sigh. Perhaps Woolf only meant to help her. Though what she really needed was someone to share hot cocoa with. She turned back to the words on the screen and continued typing…

"…After the destruction of Ambat and the Vagan's retreat, the Federation publicly claimed that the operation now known as Ambat Capture was a sanctioned action of the Federation government, and that the Operation Cleansing was carried out singularly by the Special Forces, who are being rounded up and put on trial for crimes against humanity." She swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth and finished the diary entry. "No mention was made of Grodek Ainoa and the sacrifices he made to make Ambat Capture possible, neither are the others who also perished there for what they believed was right."

"The Earth Federation denied the survival of the Mars Colonists and started this whole thing. And now they have repeated this mistake, even though that foolish action has scarred Earth with its consequences."

* * *

** AG116, March 7****th****-Earth Sphere, Madorna's Workshop**

With a final sigh of exasperation, Amy Takeo flung down her medical equipment and sat back. "I wish I had good news," she said after a moment.

"I'm just glad to be alive," Jaden replied, smiling at his sister. He held up his hands and flexed his fingers. "Thanks for doing what you could, but he was right, this isn't a wound that's gonna heal in time." He looked away from his hands and their metallic sheen. "How's Mom holding up?"

"Exhausted," Amy said, "like everyone else. She's been breaking into Lalaparly's liquor cabinet, so it's bad. It's just a burnout, she'll get over it," Amy said, forcing cheerfulness into her voice.

"Yes," Jaden said absently. "A long rest."

* * *

**Big Ring, Earth orbit**

Flit finished packing his belongings in the AGE-1's storage compartment, pausing for an hour-long moment as he held Yurin's folded ribbon. Then he placed it solemnly in his bag and left Gundam's cockpit for the last time. The hanger was vast, so much so he felt as if he were in a colony. The noise echoed, but it wasn't deafening.

Even so, the sterile, white walls sent him back to the moment after the battle in the _Diva's _hanger as he stepped out to find Milias waiting.

All the guilt welled up inside with just one look from her face. He'd broken yet another promise that day. He'd gotten distracted by Decil and let Largan die. Milias did not blame him, but as he sobbed into her chest as the world collapsed, he soon learned it was worse. Grodek wasn't coming back either.

"Only now that you're dead do I realize how important you were," Flit muttered, glancing down at the floor.

Now that they were at Big Ring, Milias stayed locked away typing on her computer. Adams sulked about, still not quite sure what would become of him and the other officers aboard the _Diva, _currently impounded at the station. Cory, well, she had always been quiet, so he didn't know what she felt during all this. And even Woolf seemed troubled, his usually cocky demeanor now replaced with a sullen man who apparently had some dark secrets, at least that's what Flit's intuition told him. Whatever the reason, Woolf refused to talk about Largan or, more surprisingly, Milias. The only bright spots he could think of were Dique and Vargas, both of which seemed comfortable working together on the AGE System Vargas' wound in the battle now fully cured from a night in healing sleep.

Speaking of Dique, he glanced to find the brawny Gunhale happily fiddling with the AGE Builder at its new station. The only thing left to do was-

-The answer passed him and stopped. "Are you Flit Asuno?" A young man perhaps Woolf's age, tall and thin, with a sharp nose and piercing amber eyes. His brown hair fell to his shoulders in open disregard for military protocol regarding hair length.

"Are you Lieutenant Alfenoa?" Flit asked, clutching his bag tighter.

"Yes," Ivon Alfenoa said with an amiable smile, though Flit felt his danger senses tingling as he stared into those piercing eyes, where a pair of sparkles twinkled menacingly. "I hear I am to take the mobile suit you developed for the military," he gestured with his shoulder at the horned Gundam before pointing with his lancing gaze at a blue Genoace in a nearby hanger brace, where workers were feverishly giving it a fresh coat of paint.

"The AGE System is my property," Flit said after a moment, an edge in his voice, "So the AGE device is coming with me. Without it, you won't be able to use the System."

"It doesn't matter to me," Ivon said, continuing on toward the Gundam. "I've only returned with damage to my Genoace three times in my life. The Gundam will make battle a dull affair. I'm not looking forward to it."

* * *

The hanger was quiet. Somehow, Flit couldn't let go of the Gundam, not yet anyway. After his discussion with Ivon, he decided this was the best course of action. With a bit of tampering, he erased the OS installed inside the Gundam, crippling it of ever performing with the AGE System and Builder without the AGE device.

With that last bit of business done, he had nothing to do but sit there with his life's one and only success, waiting for the shuttle to arrive and whisk him away to Colony Torrian, the last of Nora's two sister colonies. He stared up at the ceiling, trying to will the burning feeling in his chest. It was done. He'd avenged his mother's death. The UE were dead, the 'Vagans' were holed up in Fardain and would soon die as well. His mother could rest in peace now. So could he, Flit reminded himself. The haunting specters of Marina Asuno and Hendrick Bruzar would trouble his nightmares no more.

But new dead had arrived to take their place. Largan, Grodek, and worst of all, Yurin's torturous fate. _Those _pains would forever gnaw his heart away.

Behind him, Emily Amonde approached hesitantly, coming to tell him that the liner had arrived. She stopped and put a hand on the side of the Gundam's foot as she caught sight of him, staring blankly at the ceiling. They could take themselves out of the war, but the things they lost there would not be following. For the first time, she realized she was alone. The bridge crew, even her own grandfather belonged in this world. Even Dique found a place here. Flit tried to be a pilot, and that left him where he was now. Torrian didn't have friends and family waiting for either of them.

"But you still have me," she said to herself. "Even if you don't realize it."

Flit started as he felt fingers intertwine with his own, he turned to find Emily leaning against him. Flit turned and nestled his own head against hers.

They stayed like that long into the dayless hours of the still hanger, hands laced, back to back.

* * *

**Uzalt Debris Cluster, Ruins of Ambat**

The universe turned slowly like a wheel to him as the motion slowly drew the breath from his lungs. The pain of his battered body slowly faded away, leaving his mind absent of the agony it had suffered for so long. The air recycler hissed again, for the tenth time in what seemed like weeks. Perhaps it _had_ been weeks. Zanald Beiheart no longer cared, even the fear of death had long since drifted from his dying mind.

Then something wondrous happened. The stars shifted in a blue blur, as if he were passing through a cloak umbrella. A massive shadow rimmed with blue lights materialized over him. His feverish mind screamed with alarm, and he began to flail. But his movements were so weak it was as if he were moving in slow motion, like in a nightmare where he couldn't get away. An oval shuttle moved toward him. A man in a normal suit appeared at the side and reached for him with a gloved hand. Zanald fought wildly, but his hands barely moved before the other human had dragged him inside.

Zanald opened his eyes again, finding his helmet gone, floating beside him, along with the mysterious figure looming to his right. The man glanced down and said something in a language Zanald couldn't comprehend. "You..Not Earthrace. Vagan? Jovian?"

The man shook his head and pointed out the viewport, where the stars floated past in a flickering dance. The man said something that Zanald did not understand. Then the man put a device to his ear, and spoke again, haltingly, as if he wasn't sure he knew how to pronounce the vowels.

"More…beyond."


	15. Chapter 15 Gears of Power

_**Chapter fifteen Gears of Power**_

* * *

**March 21****st****, AG116-Earth Sphere, the **_**Diva, **_**en route to Colony Nortrum**

Yawning, Kotetsu stretched and stood up. After rubbing the sand out of his eyes, he looked around dazedly. _A medical bay? _Last he remembered, he had been cooking up a new batch of curry for Sirius to try, then the _Grand Wings _started shaking, and Lhuga and Fox had arrived to drag him into an escape pod, yelling something about space armors. But this wasn't the _Grand Wings' _medical bay, or any ship in the Treasure Star fleet he had visited. It was too new and austere for a gallivanting spacer's vessel.

He roamed out into a hall, coming to a dead stop by a viewport. He peered out. The massive hulk of the Federation's satellite stronghold of Big Ring passed nearby, with a dozen or more _Darwin _class passing below. Kotetsu blanched. "Where the hell did I wake up?"

* * *

**Madorna's Workshop, Uzalt Debris Cluster **

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Lalaparly Madorna asked, concerned brows quirking. "Don't you want to relax and think this through before jumping off into the blue?"

"I've thought about this a long time," Jaden Takeo replied with a smile. He looked around with a sick feeling at the hanger. "I need to get away from here for a while. There's just too much that reminds me of Dad."

Lalaparly looked over to Sutura Takeo, who had already said her brief goodbyes and stood waiting impatiently by the ship. The last few days had made her agitated and unsociable to the point she threatened to cancel several clients' contracts merely because of their tardiness in transferring the correct legal papers. "It's the same for your mom too, Jaden." She looked back with a fake smile, "Take care of her."

"You don't have to worry about her, you know that." Jaden looked down at his hands and flexed them. They still felt a bit metallic. "Besides all that, Amy wants some time alone to herself. I think…what happened with Fox and the Susanoo got to her more. Even than Mom."

"I'm not arguing about your reason _for _leaving. Do you even have an idea where to go?"

"Rumor has it from some of Mom's old contacts of a biochemist hiding research inside the Sargo Zone. That's as good a place to start as any."

"Those are still rumors," Lalaparly warned, putting her weight on one leg, arms akimbo. "If they aren't true, get back here and help me. That's an order."

Jaden smiled and turned to go. She had forgotten his hands were not much use for strenuous work now. If only he had listened to Fox and disabled the Susanoo's system.

"Lalaparly!" Mukured Madorna's voice boomed as he stalked over, waving a piece of paper in the air with one hand. "Did you actually sign a contract with a Blackspace gangster to double his order for free!?"

"I better get going," Jaden said, rushing into the shuttle. The door slid shut, blocking Lalaparly and Mukured from sight as they broke into a furious shouting match. He was going to miss them. The haunting memory of the transports he decimated came back in the sudden silence. The conflict would catch up to a MS smithy eventually. And he wanted no more of war.

* * *

**Colony Nortrum shipyard, the **_**Diva**_

Adams Tinel felt uncomfortable at once upon stepping into the darkened cabin. He walked over to the coffee table where Grodek outlined his plan for Ambat to him and the other bridge officers. It felt like a lifetime ago. Ambat was gone. The UE threat gone, now unmasked as a pitiful race of abandoned colonists turned conquerors. Edward had been there, and the Captain too. Adams glanced around, half expecting to hear Grodek's voice break the dead silence.

Dead silence wasn't the right phrase to think, and he finally turned away. He took the box he was holding and started for the Captain's Quarters to arrange Grodek's belongings. He stopped by a picture on the desk. He picked it up, staring into the face of a young Grodek Ainoa, his face absent of the taciturn shadow he exuded later in life. Airi and Sara Ainoa stared back as well with cheerful smiles. Adams bowed his head and sat the picture down, he wanted to pack it up last. _I wish his sacrifice reached them somehow. Useless sentimentality, he always warned me about that. _

* * *

Milias Alloy couldn't believe it. Onette Cory, as she stood across the room by the door, seemed determined to make her.

"So you're leaving the _Diva." _

"It shouldn't surprise you," Cory said. "I've never had the nerve for this sort of work anyway. I felt useless ever since I refused to join the landing party. I can't get over it."

"No one blames you for that," Milias warned, looking up from her desk chair. "You stopped that mobile armor from cornering the ship. You kept the _Diva _safe. Not everyone is made to-

-I know that. But it still doesn't change I let another member of our crew die. I could at least have been one more target." With that, Cory stepped out the door. "And another thing, you're acting the same way, Milias. The Milias Alloy I knew back at Aliston, was more confident of her abilities, but ever since you learned about your 'powers' you've sweated every time we went into battle. I don't pretend to know what you're going through, but I think if Flit could survive a battlefield, you could keep your confidence."

"You're right." Milias said, looking down. "But it is more difficult than I imagined."

"Don't disappoint me," Cory said. "It sounds like a soap opera, but I always had a crush on Grodek. It was because I saw how great he operated under Bruzar and here as the ship's Captain. His shoes will be hard to fill. But I know you can. Adams can't."

"Are you sure about that, Cory?" Milias asked.

"This was your dream, right?" Cory reminded, then she turned down the hall. "I'll stay in-touch." The door slid shut.

"And there goes another one," Milias sighed dejectedly. "I guess that puts an end to our little family." Talk about Aliston reminded her of Bruzar. She wished she could ask him for advice right about then. But it was no use seeking council of the dead, she knew all too well. They never answered.

* * *

**The **_**Nightengale, **_**Bisidian pirate vessel, outside Colony Nortrum**

"You are sure they cannot spot us," Ract asked for the third time, raising a suspicious eyebrow from his observer's chair at Angrazzo Lambro in the captain's chair. "If they do we will be killed."

"Let your mouth rest a bit will ya?" Snapped Yianna, the helms operator, or helms_woman _as she proudly reminded all within range. "Between me and Guss you have no worries."

"That's right," the short but stout Guss Dillon said raising a thumbs-up at the feisty golden blonde, who returned the gesture before glowering at Ract one last time.

"They sure have an attitude," Ract muttered, glancing over again at Angrazzo, who seemed happy to ignore that Ract was even there.

"You can't! They're my winnings!" Ract and Grodek Ainoa, who sat in a chair beside him, turned to see a skinny, brown-haired teenager wrestling on the floor with a far more overpowering adversary, a substantial collection of credit chips between their groping hands. "Let—gahph—go Muchal!"

A girl wearing a tight-fitting teeshirt and daringly short pants marched over, leaning down to collect a chip that escaped the brawling pirates. "Give him a good lesson, Muchal, he cheated," Misty Halavi accused with a smug chuckle.

Iris Julia decided to take that moment to enter the room. A young woman with vibrant rose colored hair and wearing a modest pair of jeans and flowing yellow top, she seemed strangely out of place in the darkened bridge of the _Nightengale. _Her sharp eyes however, hinted at a less delicate side. "They're getting noisy," she said, coming to rest her elbows over the back of Angrazzo's chair, looking down at him with a frown. "Doesn't it bother you, Ang?"

"Say what you mean, Iris. You're the one who's got a problem with this," said a man in dark pants and an open shirt, revealing numerous scars from previous knife fights. Nike Kingsland tossed his long black hair. "You're cuter when you don't manipulate people."

"Gahh! He bit me!"

"They are starting to get rather rambunctious," this from a man with long curly green hair. Being a native from Minsry, he wore the popular breaches and dress from the Eighteenth Century, even more standoutish than Iris' uniform. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Do as the lady says, Rocker, or I may have to do it myself." He looked over his shoulder sweetly at Nike, who snarled back.

"Don't call me that, fiddler!"

"Actually it's called a violin," corrected Mozart, holding up a long, thin finger for emphasis as he turned back to the screen. "And I'm actually trying to compose a new piece for the piano, which I cannot do with distractions, Captain…?"

"Alright," Angrazzo sighed, glancing over to find Ract and Grodek's disapproving glowers. "Nike, Mhatt, get Ginger outta Muchal out of the bridge."

"Awh, but the fight's just getting _good_," complained a young man from the primary weapon's station, his bare back revealing a tattoo of a dog's upper and lower fangs. "The kid needs to toughen up a little."

"I'll do it," Nike said, walking over to grab Ginger and haul him away from Muchal, who snagged a few credits and started for the door.

"I'll treat you to some fun when we reach the colony," he winked at Guss before stepping out under a warning glare from Angrazzo and Iris.

"I can't believe this," Ginger complained, "Mhatt why didn't you help me?"

"You get what's coming if you cheat. Besides, Misty might've gotten in on the fun. Wouldn't want to stop that now would we?"

"Please," Yianna said from her console, "It's me he likes, right Ginger?"

"I'm going to my bunk," muttered the boy, face beat red with embarrassment and rage.

"I'll be there shortly _dear,_" called Yianna, earning a chorus of chuckles from half the crew. Misty just stuck out her tongue at Yianna before drifting off after the humiliated Ginger.

"Your crew is a bit more lively than I am used to," Grodek said to Angrazzo. "How do you get anything accomplished?"

"If you're serious about tagging along with us for a while, you'll find out," Angrazzo replied with a confident smile.

"It's all me," Iris pressed a hand to her chest and tilted her head back imperiously, "When I found them, they were all just a bunch of drunken revelers. I've made great progress in turning them into a functional crew," she spread her arms proudly. "It's been hard though, and cost me a bit." She leaned down and stroked her hand over Angrazzo's shoulder. "Speaking of which, Captain, you have to go eat, I'll take over the bridge for now."

"See what this girl's done to my ship Ract?" Angrazzo complained as he rose up, "She's practically usurped my Captain's position."

"That was the plan," Ract replied evenly, turning back to the viewport, where Nortrum spun idly ahead.

"I'd take orders from you anytime," Mhatt called from his booth with a smile.

"You're a funny man, now shut it or I'll throw you out as a shield if we get caught."

"We aren't gonna get caught!" Yianna yelled for the second time.

"If they keep screaming like this, I'll begin to disagree," Ract muttered.

"Actually, sound waves can't travel in space," Grodek corrected, oblivious to the joke.

"I'm so glad I brought you along," Ract muttered, plopping his chin into his open palm. _The things I do for EUBA._

* * *

**Colony Nortrum shipyard, The **_**Diva**_

"It's bare in here," Milias commented. A strange feeling settled over her in the quiet. She felt Grodek's eyes watching her. Shuddering, she glanced over at Adams, who was staring at her thoughtfully.

"You are shivering, is something the matter?" He glanced around the room.

"What did you call me here for?" Milias asked.

"Well, it's been left up to us, so I decided this is the place to do it." He walked over to the desk and picked up the captain's hat, handing it across the desk for her to take. "If you want it, it's yours, Milias."

"Adams," Milias said, surprised. "Are you serious? You have so much more experience. You could be the captain yourself, a good one." She looked down at the proffered cap and the man who wore it. "I don't think I have his bearing. I can't replace _him._" She took the hat and gripped it with both her hands.

"No one is asking you to do that," Adams replied. "Frankly, we all know Bruzar and Grodek were grooming you for the position."

"Bruzar," Milias thought aloud. She'd willed the old man out of her thoughts. After Nora it had been too painful. But now that Ambat was finally behind her, it seemed easier to remember. "It was why he took me as his assistant," she smiled. But then her conversation with Cory returned, and the truth behind it all. "I don't have what it takes though, to keep a crew in line."

"Cory stopped by on the way out. She says she wants you to be captain."

"But that's-if she wanted her opinion to count, she should stay."

"It isn't like that Milias. Cory is concerned, but she knows this is what you were born to do. It's practically in your blood."

Milias glanced down. That familiar pulse in the back of her mind rippled a reminder that it was never going to leave. "In my blood, I don't think so. As a matter of fact, it's just the opposite. I plan to stay on the ship, the people in Aliston were family, and now it's practically just the two of us." She sighed heavily as she placed Grodek's cap back to the table. "I'm sorry, Adams. But I can't."

"This isn't what I was expecting. If this is about your powers, you need to push those aside. I know you're stronger than-

-What would you know about them? Do you have the same abilities?" Milias cut him off, her voice unnervingly calm. "You don't know what it's like for your mind to race like a hunted animal every time a beam or piece of space rubble shoots by. It's too much for me," she looked down and started out of the room. As she did, she turned back to see Haro lying inactive in a corner. Why was it here? She put that out of her mind and continued on.

"If you plan to stay on the ship, will I expect you on the bridge as my Comm. Operator?"

"No," Milias said after hesitating. "I have some things to check on, please don't stop me. And it wouldn't do for me to sit around and question your orders." With that, she turned away and slunk outside.

"And that leaves you and me." Adams said to the silent Haro. "I really didn't want this. Watching Grodek reminded me how inexperienced I am." He chuckled as he held up the cap, "we had our differences, but I would love to know what you would think of this, Grodek." He put the cap on his head and started out of the room, making for his quarters. Then he remembered the captain's cabin was his now.

"I'm proud of you, Adams."

He stopped dead, frozen in place. Adams spun around and looked around the room, but nothing was out of place, even Haro lay motionless and still. He waited, but the phantom of Grodek's voice did not speak again. "It didn't happen. I'm just stressed and delusional," he told himself. With a final shudder, perhaps of relief as much as disappointment, Captain Adams Tinel left his cabin.

* * *

Milias made it further than she ever imagined she would. "Simulator is ready," a crisp, female enunciator informed Milias in a deep, aristocratic tone.

"Thank you, computer?"

"Call me Lilly," the computer replied.

After that, Milias even reached the first MS simulator pod, a circular white compartment that rolled about inside a room with similar pods, with the purpose of creating the most high-tech bumper car system available. She was just about to find the one she programmed when it happened.

"I thought I would find you here," Woolf Enneacle said, arms akimbo. He raised an eyebrow. "Just what did you get into your pretty head? You want to get into a simulator, those can be rough you know." He leaned forward, eyes searching. "Well?"

Milias scowled. "What? Do you have problems with a woman learning to pilot? I don't mind getting knocked around."

"So you like to play tough, eh?" He grinned, then turned back, waving his hand, "that's fine, I don't mind it."

"Good," Milias said with finality, turning back toward her simulator.

"But you're a coward," Woolf turned back, steel eyes shining at her own. "You've been scared to death ever since you learned about your powers. They've turned you into a scared little girl who's wanting to run from where she knows she is needed. The MS sim is your hidey place." He made as if sweeping the simulator pods away. "Women like you don't have spine, they're of no interest to a wild guy like me," he turned around and folded his arms. "Go. Make a fool of yourself in there."

Milias tsked. He saw right through her. "I will, thank you," she said with a huff. "Care to join me?"

"Join you? You wouldn't last ten seconds in your first sim match."

"Who's the coward now? The coward who wants to get out of the bridge or the ace pilot who won't fight a sim match with her?"

Woolf spun around and stepped past her, cracking his knuckles. "You'll regret this later," he warned.

"We'll see," Milias warned, hopping into her pod.

With a hiss, the hatch closed and the sensors started up with a whine.

* * *

**Colony Torrian**

"The people who designed these uniforms were perverts," Emily Amonde complained as she waited in line at the academy.

"Haro!" Flit said, snapping his fingers, "I knew I'd forgotten something. Ah well, it's time I outgrew that thing anyway."

"You weren't even listening were you?" Emily said, narrowing her eyes.

Flit blushed slightly and decided not to look at his pretty companion. "Uh, I suppose it's suspiciously short."

"Your face is reddening," she noted, eyes narrowed. "You aren't looking at that raven head in front of us are you? Are you?"

"Of course not," he snapped, spinning around to her.

"Well something's got you red-faced," she snapped with a scowl.

"That would be you," he muttered, looking down at the pitiful excuse for a skirt. He looked back up quickly, only to find Emily's face staring at him suspiciously, bright blue eyes sparkling.

Flit suspected she was contemplating breaking some of his bones when a familiar face popped in between them. "Flit Asuno and Emily! Imagine seeing you here!"

Both found themselves staring at a classmate of theirs from Nora. Blue haired Dennem grinned between the two, his school uniform explaining his presence. "To think you would both be coming here. This is great!"

"Yeah, it's been half a year," Flit said, hesitantly. "You look happy to see me. I can't recall us having been on friendly terms before."

"That's all in the past," Dennem said with a wink. "A lot of the others saw you in the Gundam, and we heard about how you helped save the colony core. You're a hero. I guess it feels good, getting back at us for the teasing when Nora blew apart."

"Does it?" Flit asked.

"No… I guess it shouldn't," Dennem said, looking deflated. "Sorry, I just wanted to come by and say sorry. You're really our hero you know. We wanted to talk to you, but Captain Grodek wouldn't let us come aboard, said something about how you didn't need any more complicated relationships." He flushed slightly and started up further into the line. "My girlfriend's saving a spot for me up ahead. There's so many people here, I guess we'll be fighting to fit in. You two shouldn't have to worry, being soldiers on a battleship will give you both a lot of standing I bet," he pursed his lips at the somber looks on their faces, "…I'll see you around."

Flit watched the other boy push further into the line, coming to rest beside a girl he remembered from the school. "This wasn't as fun as I thought it would be." He looked away.

"Flit, it's ok," Emily said, wrapping an arm around his. "Cheer up. You'll be the most popular guy in school, and with your skills the lessons will just be a waste of time. The other Noran kids _love you. _And Boyage even agreed to help you along in setting up the family smithy. We have a lot to be thankful for," she said, putting an edge to her voice. He didn't respond. She leaned her head against his, "we have a chance to put that whole war behind us."

"I don't know how I can do that if they keep asking me," Flit said. "They don't get it and they never will. I may have saved them, but it doesn't make me feel better."

He glanced up to see a rather large number of the other entrants snickering and pointing at him and Emily, the girls giggling. One of the boys smirked at him and turned away, while one of his companions smiled at him and winked toward Emily. Somehow the two boys and their brown hair made him recall Ivon Alfenoa and his dangerous smile. He had always been different from the other Noran kids, but the divide was even wider now. _Even if I try to fit in, I've grown too much to make any real connections. I'm better suited dealing with men like Ivon. _

"Hey, hands off," a teacher in a green uniform told them with an exasperated smile, motioning for Flit and Emily to pull apart. "We got rules here, kids." She smiled, obviously amused.

"Sorry," Emily said, stepping away from Flit. "They're going to start laughing at us if we keep doing that," she told Flit with a giggle.

"This isn't going to work, Emily." He said after a pause. The line moved on ahead, and the people behind him and Emily started moving around them, some rolling their eyes at the couple. "They're living in a different world than me."

"That's right," she said, her face darkening. "Flit, I know what you're thinking. This is the real world, you need to let the past go, or it's going to make this whole year miserable."

"Can't you see," Flit turned to stare at the line of teenagers, half of which were glancing back at him for one reason or another. "There's a rift between people like them, and me. I'm sorry, but this isn't my world anymore, Emily."

"Wait, what are you planning?" Her eyes showed she already knew perfectly well. "That time in the hanger, you said you wanted to start over. Well here we are. Don't let these kids and their goofy looks scare you off. They can't know what you went through, it's not their fault."

"That's the point, Emily. I'm just running away coming to this school." Flit let out a sigh. He knew where he needed to go now. "Woolf is right. I can't keep running or I'll never be at peace with myself."

"Where do you think you're going?" She snapped, starting after him.

"I'm going to the recruiting office," Flit snapped back, whirling around. "With my status and time on the _Diva, _they'd let me join even if I'm a year under age." He saw the tears she blinked back and felt even worse, "Emily, this isn't goodbye," he swallowed, not sure what he was supposed to say or how to say it. Suddenly he _did _feel like one of these immature teenagers. He willed the nervousness away and decided to just say it, "Wait for me, I'll be back I promise. You've always been here for me, even when I was distracted."

"If you think this is going to stop me from yelling at you on the way out, you're wrong," she threatened. She blushed and tensed as he drew her close and kissed her on the lips.

He pulled back, "thank you for loving me, Emily. I'd be lost without you. I'll be back after I blast the Vagan back to Mars, and then we can really start over, together." He felt his face flush awkwardly. "Are you still going to yell at me on the way out?"

"Shut up," she said, her own cheeks beat red, "everyone's watching."

"Sorry. I love you," he said again, then turned to leave.

She nodded sheepishly, drawing back a pace as she watched him march out the door.

He belonged in the Gundam, keeping Emily and the others safe from the Vagans. Until the war ended, he'd not be able to rest. He glanced back at the door, Emily was watching him go, face clouded with a resigned look. He smiled back reassuringly. The pieces were in place at last. He wouldn't be fighting for revenge now, he'd be fighting to make a world safe for Emily. To make absolutely certain they never did to her what they did to so many others he loved.

* * *

**Colony Solon City, restricted dockyard**

_This kind of news is what got Uncle nearly excommunicated from the family, _worried Tyle Drace as he left the boarding ramp from his personal cruiser and into the ornate yet austere interior of Eldas Drace's personal pleasure yacht. The halls and floor were stark white, with panels glowing with golden light running in circular patterns on the floor and on the sides of the walls. He stepped into a large circle in the center of the floor and began wringing his hands as the lift suddenly shot up to the floor above.

_How do I convey this type of information? _He forced himself to stop wringing his hands. Eldas wasn't going to share Tyle's enthusiasm over the demise of Largan Drace. He would have little choice but to throw himself at his grandfather's mercy and beg for forgiveness. Because Eldas Drace was the kind of man to deal harshly with those who didn't put family first, disinherited or not. _What am I going to say?_

* * *

**Colony Nortrum shipyard, the **_**Diva**_

The first thing Captain Adams Tinel noticed as he stepped into the Mess was the smell of something delicious wafting from the kitchen. "When did we get a proper cook?" He wondered, stopping by his usual seat. He supposed being the Captain didn't prevent him from sitting in the usual place. He sat down, curiously watching the opening by the buffet to see if he could spot the mystery chef.

After a minute he gave up and let his usually ramrod back stoop a little as he pondered is new predicament. The hollow voice of Grodek Ainoa still gnawed at him, but he thrust that aside as a sign of fatigue and lack of proper coffee. Speaking of, a cup of the steamy black beverage appeared in front of his fumbling fingers. Adams looked up and was surprised to see a teenager with yellow, straw-like hair wearing a toboggan hat and white teeshirt standing next to him, arms folded. Adams blinked.

"What? Did I get chicken stock on me?" The boy inspected his slightly stained shirt worriedly.

"You're fine," Adams said. He looked down at the coffee and took an experimental sip, trying to decide what to make of the kid. He obviously wasn't a commissioned officer that decided to slip aboard without filling out a proper form. Then Adams recalled that there wasn't really anyone to fill a form to, he had become captain only that day. "Wait," he inspected the coffee. "This is better than what I've been making."

"Of course. What did you expect from the greatest master chef in the world?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Kotetsu," the boy held out his hand for Adams to shake.

"Captain Adams Tinel," he replied, shaking Kotetsu's hand. "Your last name?"

Kotetsu shrugged helplessly with a wide frown. "Not a clue. I'm an orphan from the Atmite Cluster. I was travelling with the Treasure Star, but I woke up in the infirmary with no clue where I was. Still don't," he said after a chuckle. He produced a ladle from a pocket on the black apron he was wearing. "I'm making soup. I hope you don't mind me. I'm at home in the kitchen."

"N-no," Adams said, not sure if he should protest. The boy wasn't on the crew's manifest, current or pending, so he assumed he was the third occupant of the _Grand Wings' _lifepod. He heaved a sigh, not sure if he should drop the bombshell to Kotetsu that his crewmates were both lost after only just meeting him. More importantly he needed to know what to do with the kid exactly. Adams took another whiff of the soup and decided it wouldn't hurt to leave Kotetsu to his culinary devices, at least for the moment. "Anything's better than instant ramen."

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon, Overlord's Palace**

"Father." Issishar Ezelcant hissed the word as the twin mechanoids held her arms fast behind her back to prevent an escape. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I should ask you the same question," Fezarl Ezelcant thundered, sweeping by the pair of frightened medical attendants. One tried to hold him back, but Ezelcant flicked the hand away. "WHAT WHERE You Doing in the _MI?"_

"MI?" Issishar furrowed her brow and cocked her head in confusion. "What are you talking about? Unhand me."

"Enough with the coy attitude I can sense your lies like red flags," Ezelcant retorted, coming to stand in front of her. "Why Issishar? Why did you search for Superweapon plans in the Vega database?"

"And some parents get angry if their kids search for porn," Issishar drawled, rolling her eyes, tongue inspecting her cheek. "But not the Ezelcant household." She looked back at him, a grin creeping across her face. "What of it? You didn't expect me to remain idle here forever did you? Silly Papa you know me too well for that. I was searching for weapons, yes. I was revived for the purpose of leading your forces at Earth, am I right?" She tilted her head.

"Yes, I know you too well," Ezelcant replied sadly, his eyes watering. "I hoped reviving after so long might have changed your mind somehow. That maybe you had learned from your past mistakes, but it seems your cruelty is unwavering even when you have _everything _to gain by casting it aside," he swept the space in front of him, "I'm so sorry, Issishar. No, Pandora Eve. Even the name you chose drips of your ambition."

"No need for disowning name-calling, I'll always be your Issishar," she replied.

"I know," Ezelcant said, hanging his head. He put a hand over his face. "Take her to Sleeping Block 47."

"Hold on, what are you doing?" Issishar struggled, but the mechanoids and their iron grips mocked her with a whine from their visor lines.

"You did not take this hundredth chance to change for the better, Issishar," Ezelcant said, still not looking up. "So I am returning you to the sleep the world condemned you to. I…will never wake you up again."

"What?" She shrieked, renewing her efforts to break free. "You can't! No! STOP!" She picked her feet off the floor and struck out against the mechanoid holding her left wrist. If only the medics had not moved away to avoid her hulking guards, otherwise she would have grabbed one with her legs and threatened to break his neck if the mechanoids did not let go. "You can't put me in there again! You wouldn't, you're my _Father," _Issishar wailed, letting all her frustration and unvented rage turn into hot tears that fell down her cheeks. "Papa!"

"I'm a father who failed you more times than I can count," Ezelcant groaned back over her piteous wailing. "This you brought on yourself."

"Curse you! You old fool. I know about it all! I know about that Thought Panner! The MI, the _clone. _He'll be mine you know! He he's the only one with the same potential as I have!" Issishar sucked in a breath as the guards reached the doors to the hall, which slid open of their own accord. "You _cannot _lock me away again, No—I am a superior being! I am more powerful than any of you filthy creatures! It is my destiny bring change to my world! Stop it Papa! I—I am the only one who can lead your forces. You will spend a hundred years before you take back the Earth! I knew you really didn't love me! If you did you would have killed me long ago instead of keeping me lock"—the door closed, cutting off her tirade.

"Oh, my little Issishar," Ezelcant muttered. He glanced through his fingers at the trembling medics. "Go." He snarled, eyes bloodshot. "Can't you see I want to be alone?"

"Of course, Your Eminence," the head physician replied, stepping quickly for the door.

"My Lord!" The second rushed to Ezelcant's side even as he sank to his knees in a violent fit of coughing.

"Get the cillicoxin solution," the medic cried, fumbling helplessly through his small bag of emergency gear. He looked over in surprise as Ezelcant grabbed the hand and held it tight.

"Get me to the cold sleep pod," he commanded. "Your chemicals won't help me now."

* * *

It would not be the end. She was unstoppable, the only viable evolution to the mutant Extrasensors, the being who would usher in a new humanity, the new Eve_. _

As the sleep chamber filled with a cloud of white steam, Issishar slowed her breathing and waited for the world to grow cold and dark. She felt her Father somewhere far off, entering his own cold sleep. She felt a twitch of anger as his presence closed in on her and she felt his love, even after all she had done. She ground her teeth in frustration, what would remove that seemingly indomitable emotion of his? He still wanted her to know he loved her, even after all this. Let him, because he had waited far too late to return her to her cold prison. She had gotten to Zoroaster Zara and let him in on the secrets he needed. Now is ambition to rule would become her unwitting champion.

Then she would tell Ezelcant the truth about the Mars Sphere that would crack his heart open and let out that silly affection he still held for her. But that was the final blow, and she would deliver that as she gloated from her rebuilt throne at Earth. Issishar licked her lips in anticipation of that sweet day when she could finally rest, settled down comfortably in the pod, and waited.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, the **_**Diva**_

"For crying out loud," Woolf complained, scratching at his hair. "It wasn't like that," he pointed a finger at Milias' face, "I _let _you win," he closed his eyes and smiled, waving his hand airily, and nearly running into a cart filled with rations.

"Watch it," Milias warned, "a good lesson I learned about piloting is good for real life too: keep your eyes open."

"Now see here," Woolf warned, "You can't start pissing on my dramatic flare just because you won the first match," he jabbed a finger forward, and tapped her nose.

Milias tried to bite it, but Woolf jerked the threatened finger back in a flash. She smiled at him and scratched the side of her face smugly, "I thought you said you gave me the match. So I _won_?"

"_No_," Woolf smacked his palm to his forehead.

"Out of your own mouth," Milias said, sticking out her chest conceitedly.

"I take back ever sharing hot cocoa with you," Woolf ground his teeth together. "And especially throwing the match."

"If you really did, then give me a reason."

"I," Woolf looked down and bit his lip for a moment, then sighed and put his fingers to the bridge of his nose, "Listen, I kinda get this feeling you're blaming yourself for Largan's death. Death happens to the best of pilots, excluding the irrepressible, immortal me," he looked over at her, serious eyes not matching his unconcerned tone. "I know you have talent, but people who grudge pilot die. It's because you'll start feeling all the more frustrated when you get good, and realize it won't make a difference. Then you'll blame yourself for not taking up MS piloting sooner."

Milias scowled at him, narrowing her eyes. "I misjudged you Woolf," she started past him, fists clinched, "I thought you only worried about your own hide. But you're actually a soft-hearted idiot."

"Hey," Woolf called, grinding his teeth again. "Crazy woman," he growled.

"Leave me alone," Milias yelled back, not turning around, "If you won't help me train than stop pestering me."

"You started it!" He snapped, charging after her.

* * *

**March 25****th****, AG116-Colony Nortrum**

"Time is of the essence," Ract Elfamel warned Angrazzo Lambro and Nike Kingsland. "The port authorities will grow suspicious very quickly once they catalogue all the parts we will be using in the smithy."

The two brawny pirates glanced at each other uncertainly, then back at Ract. "Why didn't we go somewhere else if you're building illegal mobile suits?" He gestured with his head back at the large sign designating the building, if not the entire dockyard, as the Wire MS Smithy.

"I have a contact in Madorna's Workshop who said they are too busy," Grodek Ainoa replied for Ract as the EUBA leader opened his mouth. Grodek stepped forward. "And this is my idea. The Nortrum security force will be lax because this is a military colony. It will most likely not cross their mind an MS Smithy is created a small number of illegal mobile suits under their noses."

"I see where you're coming from," Nike said, flexing a gloved hand. "Madorna's is also under heavy scrutiny. With those Vagans practically imprisoned inside Fardain, this is a good time to tidy up the Earth Sphere before going in for the kill."

"Correct," Grodek said, smiling. "You are sharper than I anticipated."

"Don't underestimate us," Mozart Killisk said, walking up with Iris Julia. Mozart folded a hand over his chest and bowed dramatically, waving his free hand toward the smithy's office building, "All arrangements are signed and sealed." He rose and combed his curly green hair back into place. "If you will excuse me, I have to get back to the _Nightingale."_

"Heaven knows what Guss and Yianna will get into," Julia laughed, handing the documents to Ract, who passed them onto Grodek, who began studying intently for possible loopholes. "I trust you know what you are doing, Mr. Killisk."

"My my, without me the sensor board and internal maintenance systems wouldn't function," Mozart replied. "However, contact me in the bridge if you find anything below board."

"He's a talented negotiator," Angrazzo said with pride as the green haired man departed. "We have stops to make as well," he said, gesturing for Nike to follow. "I'm visiting our contact in the harbor's toll office. Can't hurt to grease some palms."

"It helps to make slipping away easier I'm sure," Grodek muttered, noting a particular place in the document that might cause trouble. He would have to reword it, but he would need the digital copies before presenting it to the Wire Smithy's contractor. "Ms. Julia, there's a spot here"-

-Iris held up a data key, "Iris, please. And the digital copy is right here," she handed it to Grodek, who pocketed the chip. "Don't worry, I'm sure the smithy won't double-cross us."

"All we do now is wait," Ract said, straightening his white business suit's red and yellow striped tie. "That gives me time to visit a colleague whose _Chalcedony _didn't survive Ambat. I think I will treat him to dinner. Will you join me, Grodek?

"No, I better get to work on this document."

"Ahem, I don't mean to be rude, but Mozart and myself _are _reliable," Iris complained, taking a step forward.

"I am aware of that," Grodek replied, looking up with a knowing smile. "But there are many loopholes here for us to exploit."

"I think I will enjoy working with you," Iris said, kissing him on the cheek before starting after Mozart.

"They aren't what I imagined from the profiles in the Federation's database," Grodek commented thoughtfully, staring after the retreating Nike.

"You researched their files before joining us?" Ract closed his eyes and let out an exhalation and turned back to Grodek, "So you were planning that far ahead?"

"Is that a problem?" Grodek asked.

"It only means betraying you will most likely result in my untimely death."

"Most certainly. Do you intend to betray _me_?"

"No," Ract said, not turning away, "I need all the allies I can. It would be too much of a gamble to match wits with you."

"They never said where Nike is going," Grodek muttered. "I remember a file that his brother is in the Federation's secret police…"

"Oh he's probably casino raiding," Ract waved a hand dismissively. "He has unnatural luck, so they have him rack in credits whenever they arrive at port. Care to play a game of poker with him when he returns?"

"I don't make a habit gambling." Grodek's eyes twinkled.

Ract smiled. "Likewise."

* * *

**Big Ring, mobile suit hanger**

Ivon Alfenoa looked away from the AGE-1 Flat to lock his narrow brown eyes on Dique Gunhale, who stood in a sullied mechanic's jumpsuit, arms crossed expectantly. "I spoke with Flit Asuno himself. Why is there a problem with me piloting the Gundam.

Dique felt confident he could handle the skinny Ivon in a fistfight, but there was something unnerving about the ace's eyes that sent shivers of warning up his spine. "The order just came in from Command or whatever," he scratched his head awkwardly, obviously still new to his job.

"The Technical Division?" Ivon supplied, his smile widening with his eyes. This one was a touchy mechanic who would not let go of the AGE-1. Ivon hated those types, and the military didn't like his remedy for them.

"That's it," Dique said, trying to hide his blush. "Yeah, so, they want to examine the Gundam and maybe make a second model. So, uh, can you go without using it until then?"

"I don't plan to use it at all," Ivon said after a moment of chin scratching as he looked over the Gundam. "It's too different from what I want, and the OS system they installed is for a Genoace. It will kill anyone trying to operate it."

"The creator did that before he left," Dique admitted, obviously ashamed, "I should have been watching Flit—I mean, the creator more closely."

"It's his machine. I don't blame him for doing it," Ivon said, walking away.

Dique watched him go and let out a sigh of relief. He turned back to the other workers and quirked an eyebrow as they crept from their hiding spots behind a stand of crates and a tool store. "That was kinda creepy, I could've used some help."

"You're either as gutsy as you look, or stupid," the lead mechanic said, eyes wide. "You've heard the stories about Ivon haven't you?"

"No," Dique glanced at them sideways, not sure he wanted to hear, "Go ahead and shoot."

"He's only come back a few times with any real damage to his machine," another worker spoke up.

"And when the engineers started overhauling it, Ivon came back from the debriefing and found them taking the Genoace apart. He flipped out and…."

" 'And' what?" Dique demanded.

"He killed them all."

* * *

**Colony Nortrum, Guilty Jewel gaminghouse**

Nike Kingsland happily slung the bag of tokens over his shoulder, a whiff of smoke trailing between his eyes from the cigarette poking out of his mouth. He frowned at a no smoking sign and grudgingly dropped the cigarette into a dispenser. Ignoring the looks of dismay from staff and customer alike, he sat the gigantic bag of coins down in front of the exchange booth. The teller, a man born on pure English soil and sporting a curling grey mustache, leaned forward, monocle popping out of his right eye. He stuttered and grabbed the lens, pressing it to his eye as he leaned down at the bag.

"I found me some booty," Nike said with a feral grin, the look on the other man's face obviously not picking up on Nike's idea of a private choke.

"H-h-h-how-how," the man stuttered. "You you..you…"

"..I…?" Nike asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I'll be back," the teller said quickly, dashing away into a back office, probably to ask his masters what went wrong with the rigged slots.

Nike glanced over while he waited, seeing a familiar head of shaggy brown hair poking around the corner. "Ginger?" The boy saw Nike and stalked up, carrying a substantial haul of tokens of his own. Nike frowned. "Ginger, don't tell me you-

-It's cheating only if you get caught," Ginger replied smugly, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Shush," hissed Nike, leaning down to the boy and silencing his mouth with a raised finger. "Long Time No See Buddy!" He yelled loudly, wrapping the surprised Ginger in a rough hug. He drew back, one hand still around the boy's shoulder.

Cheeks flushed, Ginger glanced around at several other patrons with a teenager's awkward frown, "Uh, what are you-

-shut it. Didn't someone teach you that they have microphone recorders scattered all over places like this?" Nike asked. "One word out of line and they'll peg you."

"Oh," Ginger's eyes widened. "whoops," he scratched his head.

"Whoops won't cut it if we have to bail your ass out of prison. Ang will be so mad he might leave you behind."

"He wouldn't!" Ginger pleaded, eyes going wide. "I have people who know me on Nortrum. I'd be in the big house before nightfall, or out an airlock!"

"Then play it quiet and don't cheat or say you cheated."

"Sorry, but I wouldn't have to if you had let me get my credits back from Muchal when he—hey…_how _did_ you _get all those coins without uh, you know."

"I'm the luckiest dog there is," Nike replied with a smug smile, standing back up, chest puffed up like a rooster. "Every two out of fifteen machines are rigged to give the jackpot once in a while. Normally you'd waste a fortune and never get a single win, but I can get them all."

"_Right,"_ Ginger folded his arms and smiled. "Come on, Nike, you can tell a crewmate like me."

"Sir," the teller interrupted, clearing his throat politely. "May I please inspect your bag?"

"Certainly," Nike said, picking up the bag and setting it on the counter. "I counted it all myself, so no trying to pull one on me."

The teller's eye twitched. "I suppose you will want this in cash…"

"If that is convenient," Nike said, smiling amiably.

"It is most certainly _not. _Can we arrange this to be sent to your bank account?"

Nike scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh, no."

"I see." The man turned aside and began counting the tokens one by one, his monocle lighting up to reveal itself as a chip analyzer.

"Go make yourself useful and get me something to eat," Nike told Ginger, patting him on the head. "Get."

Muttering to himself, Ginger stalked off, guarding his coins like his most precious treasure.

"The kid's got a lot to learn," Nike said to himself, taking out a toothpick and placing it in his mouth, he brought up a tablet and began divvying up his winnings to a list. He'd be buying some sick upgrades pretty soon. He thought for a moment, then sighed and sent a hefty portion aside for the new pilot, that Largan fellow. The man looked competent. If that Grodek Ainoa was anything to go by, Largan Drace was going to become a Hound in no time. Nike scowled. He wasn't too sure what he thought of that.

"Hold it!" Shrieked the teller, his eyes bulging again, a bony finger pointing like a gnarled tree branch accusingly. "That boy!"

Ginger stopped dead in his tracks, holding a plastic bag containing a carryout from the nearby eatery. His eyes widened and smiled and waved with the fingers still clutching the sack.

"_YOU," _the old man shouted, his eyes narrowing. "Security!" He turned aside and shouted again, banging his hand rapidly onto a silver service bell.

"Whatdidyoudo?" Nike hissed, grabbing Ginger and shaking him by his shoulders.

"I'm kinda wanted in places like this.."

"You little shit," Nike said, a twisted smile crossing his face. "Not only am I going to get this haul, I'm going to add your bounty to it."

Ginger abruptly dropped his sack and ran for his life, a group of security guards in black suits charging after him. "Now," Nike said, wiping his hands, "Time to collect my reward." He looked up to face a pair of guards, both scowling vehemently. "High fellas," Nike said, smiling innocently, he scratched his head. "Something wrong."

The first guard on the right stepped forward and cracked his knuckles. Nike glanced over at the teller, who stared back smugly. "I'm going to kill that brat," he muttered, spinning around, ducking beneath the security men as they swung their fists. "And get back my lunch!"

* * *

**Colony Agrissa, military training facility**

"So you think you have what it takes to be a mobile suit pilot?" The female officer said from across the desk, her narrow eyes boring into his.

Flit fought off the urge to fidget nervously. He had never seen such a masculine woman before. She was practically twice Woolf's size since his stay aboard the Workshop, with bushy brows and massive lips. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and she had a deep voice that sounded like it was made for bellowing. He also didn't like the rider's crock neatly draped in front of her clasped hands, which rested comfortably on the wooden desk. Behind her, the blue star of the Federation standard hung on a wall, giving her an authoritative air that seemed designed to cow him into a groveling heap beneath her.

"It says _here _you're only old enough to be playing the latest video games," she said, staring down her nose at him like a bird of prey inspecting a choice morsel. "You're definitely strong-willed. But do you really have the guts to stare the enemy in the face and pull the trigger?"

Flit remembered the face of Geera Zoi, the boy who had been his son, and then Decil's giggling apparition. Then there was Yark Dole, who's eyes stared out at him with a chilling cold from his mask. Flit didn't hesitate to answer that last question. "Yes."

"No matter what they look like?" The officer asked one last time, her smile broadening at his determination.

"Without a second thought." He thought of Geera Zoi's son. He would have killed him then, if out of nothing else than pity. "No matter who I face."

* * *

**Colony Nortrum dockyard, The **_**Diva**_**. **

The hanger bay was finally filled to its full capacity with new pilots from Big Ring. The ship had been upgraded with a complicated new transformation mechanism the purpose for which baffled Adams Tinel, who was now expected to use it regularly. The Photon cannon had been dismantled, since it blatantly defied the strict laws of the SCT. With that said, all that was left for the tired captain of the _Diva _was to retreat to his new place of comfort and seclusion, the Mess hall.

As Adams expected, the busy Kotetsu was there, cleaning the Mess with a silent vacuum, which had apparently become his duty. The crewhand assigned to the job had been run out so many times he now avoided the place entirely. Sighing, Adams plopped into his usual place, resting his chin on his hands. He had neglected to inform the staff board why he didn't need a chef, and thankfully the report had not gone challenged.

"Are you sure you don't mind staying aboard," Adams asked as the boy moved past, his cleaner moving in a steady pattern. "We are leaving today, this is the last chance you have to get off before we set out."

He knew something was wrong the moment Kotetsu glanced at him, his face set in a determined frown. "It's no problem." With that he quickly returned to the kitchen, swapping the cleaner for a plate filled with cookies. He sat the plate down and opened the lid, allowing several of the treats to float out.

"I've not seen you make sweets before, Kotetsu," admitted Adams.

"I avoid dessert because sugar's unhealthy," Kotetsu said, "but not today. Today is 'how much crap I can pump into myself day'. Eat."

Adams devoured the three free-floating cookies, then eventually had to smack his own hand away from the tray as it reached for more. "I've never tasted such good cookies, they're the best. But what kind are they?"

"Oh, just sugar. I made some others with raspberries, but they need more seasonings to taste right after baking."

Adams turned back to Kotetsu, surprised to see the boy had pulled mixing bowl out of nowhere, stirring the red sauce inside. "It's fish curry tonight. I'm trying my hand at crème brûlée. Never been good at it, and I'm not sure how the consistency will be in zero g…Man, baking is a nightmare. Ovens these days just don't have the equipment for it. Except my kitchen on the Grand Wings…"

"About that, you don't look yourself," Adams said, wincing at the look that flashed across Kotetsu's face.

"I found out."

"I see," Adams closed his eyes. "I owe you an apology for not telling you. I was afraid it would be all a little sudden when you first woke up."

"I've known for a while, actually. It started sinking in only yesterday that Lhuga wasn't going to come walking in, asking for my hazelnut salad, or Sirius for curry." He abruptly looked down at the red sauce he was mixing and let go of the bowl. "That sort of thing."

"You cared about them very much. I know what you mean, I lost some good friends at Ambat too."

Kotetsu looked like he was straining to hold back tears, then suddenly he grabbed the bowl and started off for the kitchen. He once again returned, this time bearing a salad. He placed it in front of Adams. "This has a strawberry vinaigrette I invented. It was her favorite, so eat up and be thankful you're still alive."

"Kotetsu," Adams frowned. "Are you sure you want me to-

-And stop frowning all the time. You're the captain of the ship now, right? Ever since you've been coming in here, it's always doom and gloom for you. I don't know how important to you those comrades were, but sitting around pulling out your hair isn't what they died for. And you're the leader too. Sirius always smiled and laughed, even when I knew he didn't mean it. It's good inspiration. Try it on the crew sometime."

With that, Kotetsu departed for the kitchen at the sound of a timer going off.

Adams took the fork in hand and speared a piece of broccoli, his mind digesting Kotetsu's kernels of wisdom. His advice wasn't half bad. In truth, he _had _been emulating Grodek's reserved, taciturn countenance. His excuse was that it promoted respect and obedience in the crew. That may have worked for Grodek Ainoa, but Adams had always been his own man.

Perhaps it was time to move past Grodek and find out for himself what kind of captain _Adams Tinel _was.

* * *

**July 1****st****, AG116-Mars Sphere, **_**So Lin **_**class transport ship**

The dusty, windswept surface of Mars greeted Yurin L'Ciel's blue violet eyes as she stepped out of the spa. The chill of cold sleep still clung to her, and she quickly returned to the warm water, letting it take away the cold. Soon she would visit the red planet itself, or close to it. Yark Dole Briar hadn't been particularly clear what had exactly gone wrong with the terraforming.

She wondered what Flit was doing right now. Yurin wished she could go back and tell him she was alright, and to discover Riria Briar's ultimate fate. Despite his efforts, Yark Dole had been unable to find whether or not the little girl had perished at Ambat or not. The transports never left, so it seemed likely her little life had ended there.

She looked down, seeing the reflection of the burn scars that ran up along her left side all the way to her face. The warm, inviting water suddenly felt like searing flames racing up her side. She screamed, scrambling out of the burning hot water to land trembling on the cool floor.

Yurin steadied herself, hands still trembling and her entire left side unsettlingly hot. She hesitantly touched the water again, expecting boiling heat. Instead, it felt warm and soothing again, like it had moments before. Yurin closed her eyes and tried to breathe easier, but could not forget that the spa had become a raging inferno. Standing, she dressed quickly in the robes expected of Vagan women (or so Yark Dole said) and stepped out into the ship's corridor.

"Yurin," Yark Dole said, materializing from a darkened doorway, "I felt a flicker of terror and was about to send in someone to check on you. Are you alright?"

"Yes," she lied, drawing the robes tighter about her, "just a little shaky after cold sleep."

"And your near escape I'll wager," Yark Dole replied with a sigh. "I assure you a few treatments more and the scars will heal. They'll be barely noticeable. If that."

"Good. What were you doing in there?"

Yark glanced back to the darkened room, "making contact with our frontline base. We must be careful around these parts, the eye of Angra Zenon is always watching."

"Forgive me, but what exactly is that? It sounds familiar." Yurin asked, confused. "Are there other factions at Mars?"

"There are the Jovans, but they don't venture past the asteroid belt. Unfortunately, Angra Zenon is not a party to negotiate with. It is an automated enforcer of the Silver Chalice Treaty. One of Humanity's greatest Superweapons. It's invisible thanks to an umbrella cloak infinitely superior to our own, so we can't see it directly without the most advanced of scanners—which we do not have." He looked out a nearby viewport and visibly shuddered. "But we with the power of the X have grown up shuddering under its watchful gaze. You can feel it if it's there, Yurin. A constant, maddening sense of danger, like a roaring blast of heat blocked only by a thin furnace door, which could burst open at any moment."

"I thought the Federation dismantled it," Yurin said, growing suspicious. "I read something about an automated weapon once."

"Then they lied to you. It is not dismantled. It is here, roaming to and fro, searching. I don't know how it can scan our ships even when they are cloaked, much less how Angra Zenon knows when a target is of an explicit technological level. But it is quite accurate. When our salvation came, the abandoned starship _Vega, _came to rest near Phobos, Angra Zenon materialized and blew the moon to fragments. You will notice that the first moon is absent. It almost tried to vaporized Deimos too, but for some reason it stopped and disappeared. It does that, and because of its erratic actions no one dares to venture far from the planet. From what Overlord Ezelcant says, Angra Zenon was programmed never to attack a planetary body, though that didn't stop it from taking pot shots at _us."_

Yurin tried to sense the presence of the invisible terror, but the traumatic burst of memory from her burn wounds had muddled her X-Region. "Are we safe?"

"Honestly, no. Not until we reach Second Moon, which is safe from Angra Zenon's reach, but too close to Mars and therefore exposed to its magnetic radiation storms. But have no fear, I cannot sense Angra Zenon right now, so for the moment the passage is safe, though that monster can appear suddenly without warning." He looked down at Yurin, his eyes growing proud. "You can begin to understand now, why we revere X-Rounders here. They are not weapons or freaks to us. For the people of the Mars Sphere, we are the protectors, the only ones who can pierce through its cloak and detect its presence. Without us, we would never know if it was safe to travel out of the planet gravity field."

Yurin looked through the viewport again. All those years of being treated strangely for her power, and now she had come to a place that needed it.

"Yark, you said there are Jovans at Jupiter. What do you know about the rest of the System?"

"We know very little," Yark Dole replied. "If they have cloak shields they are using them. And as for going out and finding them ourselves, many have tried, some with colonies." He looked away from the viewport, his voice quiet. "We never heard from them again."

* * *

**August 14****th****, AG116-Earth Sphere the Moon, Ultimus Maximus lunar base. **

Flit Asuno first took the transfer notice from Agrissa's basic training facility to the Federation's primary lunar base as a pardon to a man in prison.

"Disperse, all pilots to your MS! Get them prepped for the next skirmish. On the double!"

And like many others, he soon learned he was trading in a frying pan for a fire. The endurance training had been thoroughly brutal. Why Flit had to be subjected to such rigorous physical punishment was beyond him, considering he wanted to be an MS pilot, not a member of the infantry core. But at least all of it had a proper practical use. Unlike what was taking place here at Maximus.

"But this—this has as much practical application as a"—he hesitated, too fed up to think of a proper example. Ever since he arrived, it had been endless tests and drills seemingly bent on impressing into the pilots the layout of the Genoace. That was nice. Flit mastered the Genoace plans when he was _ten. _He had designed the Gundam AGE-1. This was all, well, it wasn't child's play, thanks to the drill sergeants. Flit had long since come up with ways to dismantle and reconfigure the internal workings of mobile suits. It wasn't like a rifle, a Genoace was so malleable there were many efficient, faster ways to reassemble it. The instructors however, did not appreciate his ingenuity. And so he had found himself "disciplined' on numerous occasions. So many in fact, that he was certain a permanent bruise had been smacked onto his cheek.

And he outright refused to think about the training sessions in the sims.

"Flit?" Flit turned to see Milias Alloy skip around the back of a kneeling Genoace, her face beaming.

"Ms. Milias?" Flit asked, disbelieving. "Why are you here?"

She smiled and pointed her fingers at the trainee jumpsuit she wore, "same as you, I decided to become a pilot. Although I guess you were always one."

"Formally once I finish this training." Flit tilted his head. "What about you, Ms. Milias. Why the change?"

"I couldn't stand being on that bridge, measured and calm with these awful powers flashing in my head. I guess I felt I needed to be _doing _something more active with these senses."

"Is that so," Flit felt his eyebrows grow heavy and he began to massage them, reminding himself that he still needed to finish up with his Genoace. "I may not be leaving if I don't finish this machine."

"I know, it's a pain. But what can you expect from a hundred plus years of peacetime. With no one to fight the armed forces bureaucratize."

A shout from a supervising officer sent them both scurrying back to work. Flit glanced back at Milias, feeling that familiar twinge of guilt, but also of comfort at having a close friend nearby again.

* * *

**August 24****th****, AG116-Earth Sphere, Colony Nortrum **

"I'm hoping we won't be staying here much longer," Grodek Ainoa said, glancing over at Largan Drace, who leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his uniform, which he refused to discard.

"I hear you've been fitting in pretty well," Largan commented, looking up. "What about those high-minded goals of yours?"

"There is not much I can do without a loyal following," Grodek frowned. "Ract Elfamel lost too much during my war against the UE. I feel obligated to help him for now, and work on the Bisidian. If I can win this ship over, I will have something to work with."

Largan looked up, remembering what Grodek Ainoa could start with just a single warship.

"My plans are made," Grodek said, getting up from his chair, "I want to hear yours. I was expecting you to rejoin the _Diva."_

"We talked about this when we boarded. I'd rather help you with whatever you have planned. It's your fault; you shook my belief in the Federation—and saved my life."

"Are you sure you didn't want to see Milias off? I told you she was on the way to undergo pilot's training."

"I can't believe you're so well informed without having a contact onboard," Largan said.

"I have a fly on the wall," Grodek said with a knowing smile.

"Either way," Largan said, "I can't go back. It's all for Milias."

"Yes. You're cousin would threaten Milias if he discovered you were alive."

Largan's head shot up, eyes growing hard. "How did—how long?"

"I've always known, ever since I started listening to private communications when I took command of the _Diva,_ which is how I ended up learning about Ract's dealings with Bisidian," he got up and started for the door, "don't worry, I have no intention of telling Milias, nor have I not valued you, Largan. You've always done what you thought was right, even if your family has been blackmailing you."

Grodek stepped out, leaving Largan to his own thoughts.

"It's time to pay up," Angrazzo said, leaning back in his captain's chair. He glanced upside down at Iris Julia. "Got any ideas?"

"Not a one," she replied sailing over him to land above Yianna near the viewport. "Yianna, do you have any funds you might spare for the docking fee?"

"Nope," Yianna replied, taking out a stack of credits from her jacket, "this is _all _for whoever guesses my last name—or age."

"27," called Mhatt, reading a magazine with a suggestive looking cover by his console.

"Wrong," Yianna said, opening her hand expectantly.

Mhatt scowled and tossed a credit. As it sailed to Yianna, Iris grabbed it, frowning down at the short girl. "I'll take that as your contribution." She turned to Mhatt, "And you: no masturbating on the bridge, you can read your disgusting crap in your bunk."

"I can't do that, Ginger's my new roommate ever since Nike booted him out," complained Mhatt.

"You're so bossy," Yianna snapped suddenly, hopping up from her console to glare at Iris. "Just leave us alone. You're still not one of us. I've spent the last year and a half letting you order me around like you own me. But you don't! I didn't join Ang's crew because I wanted military discipline," she growled. When she reached Angrazzo's chair on her way out, she glared up at him, "and why don't you do something? Oh yeah I forgot, since you two got 'together' you've lost your spine."

Angrazzo watched her go, letting a long sigh escape. "She's right you know," he turned to Iris. "You _are _a bit militaristic."

"This kind of behavior may not be causing any problems, but we still need money for the docking fees or we'll be running with the whole space fleet behind our backs just to save Ract's new suits."

"I thought it was only supposed to be one mobile suit," Mhatt said, looking a bit _too _comfortable in his chair. He glanced over at Iris with a lustful look. "You know, I think you should share, Ang. If you do, I won't have to use these anymore," he held up the magazine tauntingly at Iris, who turned beat red with rage.

"My my, things are heating up again," Mozart said quietly to himself, sipping at a cup of tea. "I should probably leave before the gunfight starts, bad for creative thinking."

"I heard that," Mhatt growled, getting up from his station to float over to Mozart, "and my patience ain't what it used to be before coming here. So you better-

-Settle down," Angrazzo commanded, getting up from the chair. "We're all a little tired of waiting on Ract, but it won't be long and we'll be on our way with pay. Iris is being bossy, but she's also right. You guys _are _running your tempers short."

Mhatt spat into Mozart's tea. The green haired man looked down disappointedly at his cup as Mhatt drifted out of the bridge, glaring back at Ang. "Remember Iris, I'm a Hound. If you ever want to skip the broom with me an start our own gang, just knock on my door."

Angrazzo gave Mhatt a final glare, then turned back to Mozart, who got up tiredly and started to leave as well. "You better get Yianna back to take over," he snarled at Angrazzo, eyes bulging with rage. "I've got to go murder Mhatt now."

Iris frowned at the retreating Mozart. "He's a totally different person while he's angry."

"A good thing to remember," Angrazzo replied, sighing. "Rumor has it he's got a torture room somewhere onboard. All I know is he's good at interrogation, so beware."

"Understood," Iris said quickly, sitting down on Angrazzo's lap. "Chill time's over. We have to scrounge up some money. I mean _now._"

"Is this problem serious?" Grodek Ainoa asked, stepping onto the bridge. "By the way, Mozart was in the hall strangling Mhatt with what looked like a violin string. Should I be worried?"

"No," Angrazzo replied waving a hand absently. "It happens." He pointed a finger at Grodek's neck, "take this as a lesson on what happens if you mash his buttons."

"It's a substantial amount of money," Iris said, turning to Grodek, who went over to Mozart's station. "We have to pay extra to keep the Smithy workers quiet, extra to pay the dock authorities quiet, extra to pay our contact to not leak our whereabouts to rivals and hunters after our bounties. It's a mess."

"Fifteen hundred credits," Angrazzo folding his head behind his head, "give or take a couple hundred depending on who's asking for us."

"_Is _someone asking for us?" Nike demanded, stepping into the room. "I _knew it. _After that dickheaded idiot lost me a fortune at the casino, attention's been drawn to us. We should cut this deal with Ract and get out while we have the chance. Actually, I'm going to check our contact myself, maybe bring Mozart along to help negotiate, since he's so good at it." His face agitated, Nike left the bridge as abruptly as he came.

"He seems disturbed," Grodek noted, glancing down at his data key, which was—among other things—installing "safeguards" into the ship's system, to ensure he had total control of the _Nightingale _should they attempt to leave him and Ract in the lurch. He was, after all, Ract's ally, not the Bisidians'.

"His ex girl has this nasty habit of showing up asking around for us if we stay in any one place too long," Angrazzo explained.

"She's crazy," Iris added. "Last time she found the ship, we had to replace the bridge."

"Oh," Grodek looked away, "I'm assuming it's better not to know why."

"She blew it up with a bazooka," Angrazzo said, sitting up. "And the first time she nearly took out the crew on her lonesome."

"She sounds like a female Rambo," Grodek said.

"Who?"

"A fictional character who—it's done. We should be thankful," he turned to the pirates, "the military has unintentionally volunteered to donate two million credits to assist us in our crisis."

"Two _what_?!" Angrazzo picked Iris up and deposited her beside the seat as he rose in disbelief. Iris floated up in front of him, her own face one of total dismay.

"Well, half a million is for your docking 'fees'," Grodek removed the key and started for the exit, "the rest is for a rainy day."

"We've got to get you and Wilma together," Angrazzo said as he shook his head in disbelief. "So she can learn a few tips."

"Oh, it would boggle anyone's mind, I'm sure," Grodek replied as he departed. "I can't have just _anyone _learn my little secrets."

* * *

"It's finished at last," Ract Elfamel spread his arms dramatically as the mobile suit brace slowly retracted from the menacing form of the Oppressor. "I'm going to have to thank Grodek for giving me the plans to these toys." He turned toward another hanger, no less than ten more of the machines, all with Xynelda support units, rested in their braces in various stages of completion.

"I am glad you're impressed with our progress," the thin, feathery head mechanic said, his long, wedge-shaped face similar to some avian being. It reminded him that one never had to look any further than the human race to find something alien. "I predict our last unit will be completed by next week, barring anything unfortunate."

Ract wanted to tell the bird that he was awed in the presence of his deadly new armor, not the Wire Smithy's efficiency, though he decided to let the mechanic gloat, since the fast progress _was _helpful and appreciated. _Soon, Don Boyage, I will destroy the last remnants of Zalam, and with it, the final shade of one of the Empires of the Axis Federation. Your Empress will never return, your era is over. Even if you may have taken that Asuno boy under your wing, I have already begun my work. What has Flit Asuno done for you? _He laughed into the echoing vastness of the hanger. The Oppressor's darkened visor stared back, its sleeping mooneye laughing with him.

* * *

**August 31****st****, AG116-Mars Sphere Arndion Colony**

"Alms, alms," a grizzled beggar called from a dirty blue carpet. Wind kicked up the sand in the streets, its howl mingling with sound of the beggar and the unsteady roar of the crowd. "Fresh pasta! Fresh pasta!" A merchant yelled from an opened window that faced the street.

Arabel Zoi looked around, it had been a long time since he had been home. He looked up at the colony walls. The radiation storms from the terraformer were apparently difficult to stop, because people still talked about the sickness. And even if it didn't reach them, there were still the mutant diseases the terraformer had inadvertently created, none of which were backing down despite the Vagan's numerous attempts at destroying them.

After a long, dusty walk outside the city, Arabel finally reached his destination. He swallowed and stared up at the massive building. Modeled after the fabled Taj Mahal of Earth, the palatial house of the Zoi family glowed a faint yellow in the waning light. Arabel did not feel comforted by its darkened windows and great walls blocking it off from the outside world.

The Zoi ruled Arndion like kings, which always felt a bit wrong to Arabel. As he passed opened gates and along the orange stone road leading to the great steps of the palace, one of Geera's old lessons reared up in his mind. He had received no greetings from his relatives. Worse, a distant relative, Monora Zoi, had taken up residence here. While Geera breathed, that woman had been a lesser Zoi, but now, alone and no more than ten, Arabel realized that _he _was the lesser here in Arndion. It would have been better if he escaped before ever reaching the house, he now realized.

A terrible thought occurred to him that sent his heart racing and Geera's dead body floating in front of him. There was a flash of green light, and he spun around without thinking, leaping for the gate. A shot rang out, blasting the stone behind him into a blazing cloud. He looked back, barely able to focus as his legs pumped against the stone, sending him rocketing away from the now hungry looking openings of the palace. They meant to dispose of him, to vaporize him to ashes and let the wind sweep him away like so much sand.

Arabel now thanked his father for the harsh lessons. To think, to plan. Boys his age, spoiled and happy, would not have stood up quite so well, running from their family as they tried to shoot them at their own doorstep.

The gates had silently closed, but Arabel had the good sense before even passing them to notice a small depression in the ground by one of the walls—a secret passage he had made to escape the grounds and go exploring when he still lived here. He made for that opening, praying it hadn't been filled up.

It had, and recently. Arabel kept his eyes trained on the palace, where a stream of men in turbans and glowing rifles were charging from the entrance. He ignored them, concentrating on the sniper in one of the windows. Another bolt flashed, but he dodged it and reached the gate again. Relieved at his luck for being so small, he squeezed through the golden bars and dashed toward a stand of rocks not too far from the palace. He had suspected this might happen somewhere in the back of his mind, and had scanned the area for hiding spots. He only wished he had not been stupid enough to walk into the trap like an idiot. His father would have scolded him for that.

He finally reached the rocks, looking back to see that the guards had not followed beyond the gates. It was apparently enough for Monora to run him away from his own home like a stray dog. Obviously she meant for the disease to take him. "Good for her, she won't have to tell the other family members what she did to me," Arabel hissed in rage. He hated Monora already.

Now what? Go back to the city? Beg for alms? He supposed there wasn't much choice, then a thought occurred to him. He knew people. More importantly, those people had _power. _Yark Dole Briar the Star's Harbinger had returned to Second Moon, along with Yurin L'Ciel, who had supposedly survived the battle, from what he found out. He was now very glad he had tried to save Yurin, because now she would definitely want to help, even if Yark was for some reason unwilling.

A plan now properly formed, Arabel decided to make for the _So Lin _that had carried him here. The pilots were all loyal to the Zoi, and he would not have difficulty in getting them to find out where Yark and Yurin were, or even take him there.

A pair of gloved hands wrapped around his mouth and throat. Dozens of men, all wearing scarves about their faces surrounded him from nowhere, their orange and tan cloaks blending in with the rock and sand. He fought viciously, his screams echoing off the side of the rock and out into the twilight. But other than Monora's guards at the palace gate, there was no one to hear him but the desert jackals.

* * *

**Earth Sphere Colony Fardain, Medical bay. **

"He sustained little physical trauma," the X-Rounder supervisor said as he rounded the cold sleep pod, where Zeheart Galette slept soundly. "But we can only begin to wonder what kind of mental damage the battles caused."

"It's going to be a problem," said Nixean McArver. "He may be just a six year-old boy, but he has a reputation now as an ace pilot. The Bloody Dragon has turned the tide of the battlefield just by his mere presence. If he stops fighting, our disheartened forces are going to backslide again, and when morale goes down, so do our pilots."

"I'm sorry, but I don't approve of children like him being sent into battle _at all." _The caretaker pressed a switch, watched as the pod began to sink into the floor, where a conveyer would transfer it to a long line of stasis vats below. "It's for the sake of kids like these that we're supposed to be fighting for in the first place."

Nixean thought long and hard on that.

* * *

**New Mazatlan Isle, Administrator's Safehouse**

"I say we mobilize our entire space force and bring it down on Mars like a hammer. And I mean throw everything at them. Our nuclear weapons, and maybe even some biochemical weapons. We still have the technology to manufacture some bacterial killers," said Mer-Mes Zuberi, a dark-skinned man and presiding Magistrate of South America, one of the few who dared leave their safe bunkers at home to attend the emergency meeting at Brucia.

"That isn't as easy as it sounds," Luli Jasmine replied from her seat, an Asian by birth, with an imperious bearing that lent her the miasma of a Chinese Empress of long ago. "I know many of the fleet commanders well. I do not doubt they are determined to end the war. But give them an order to destroy the enemy populace, and they will begin to grumble." She gave Mer-Mes and Cedrick Fondor a wicked glance each. "Let us cast this charade aside. We know who the minds behind Cleansing were. We cannot make similar moves again until the military is stable. The Special Forces were deeply rooted, even _my_ police have not yet found and prosecuted all their minions."

"Loyalties aside, I want to see results at Fardain before we knock on the enemy's doorstep," Josiah Rodwain said, sitting up in his seat. From what I've heard so far, it took major casualties to run the Vagans off of Brucia. And now they're snug up inside Fardain's shell. We haven't even been able to budge their outermost defensive line. I'm a close friend of Admiral Kindle, he says that they are using technology we know nothing of."

"All the more reason to abolish the treaty," Channa Nitzani said, her voice low, "I do not want to see the Middle East sector overrun with those Gafrans. I was in Brucia, and I say even if we did begin researching new weapons, it would come too late. We must," and her eyes narrowed suggestively, "use what weapons we already have…"

"I utterly refuse," Cedrick Fondor said, speaking up for the first time. "Contacting Angra Zenon is out of the question. I, the Prime Minister, don't even know how. So it's pointless counting on something we don't fully understand."

"It was Issishar Ezelcant who hid the control key," Mer-Mes pointed out, "is it not likely the Vagans have it under their control? She _was _placed in cold sleep at Mars. Surely her father has thawed his monster out and asked her for it."

"Judging by the way they agreed to be our scapegoats for Operation Cleansing, and have waited years and years to actually make a military move without throwing Angra Zenon at our faces," Fondor said, scratching his chin, "I would guess _logically _that Ezelcant hasn't got it in his control." He turned to Luli, raising a hand to silence Josiah and Channa. "What have your people found out, Director?"

"We searched the records thoroughly," Luli replied. "I can safely say that Issishar left the controller on Earth, while the founding government destroyed the others when they sent Angra Zenon on its permanent patrol of the Solar System. Unfortunately, I found no data giving even the _slightest _hint where. Issishar's followers must have purged the information."

"I bet it's in the Asgard," Josiah said. "The Zalam remnants are strong there, and they were one of the three imperial factions."

"It's no use discussing a weapon we no longer have under our control," Simba Tapiwa said, speaking up for the first time. Everyone turned to the aging African Magistrate, his jet-black skin in stark contrast to his snow-white beard, which fell all the way to his chest. "Cedrick, have we made any attempt to contact Overlord Ezelcant yet? His demands from what I recall, were not unreasonable."

"I haven't tried again," Cedrick replied dourly. "Their command structure—if they have one—is a total mystery to me. Last time I my request for an audience was redirected to someone named Zoroaster Zara, a priest in their cockamamie religion. Wouldn't shut up about how we would suffer their fate or something. Funny, considering they haven't done anything in the way of winning the war."

Simba rubbed his beard, muttering. "I sense there is more to Mars than we guess. They most likely are suffering from the affects of the terraformer. I remember a report about how it caused mutant disease to spread unchecked."

"They were all supposed to perish," Channa said, biting her lip, "that was why we made that deal with Issishar, correct? The remnants of the Axis populace that were loyal to it would die in exchange for her life. It did a good job too from what we're hearing. I _won't _allow mutant disease spreading to Earth. It could destroy the ecosystem entirely. And after the work my people put into restoring it from what the rebellion caused, I will destroy any of the Vagans who set foot here."

"You say it did a good job, but it didn't. The Mars colonists live," Mer-Mes said coldly.

"Enough of your childish bickering," Simba commanded, standing up. The giant Masai rose to his full height of eight feet. Staring down his nose at the group of cowed magistrates, he looked like a statue of a god come to life. "It is obvious from your bickering that we do not possess the military power to sustain a long war with these people; inevitable since we cannot even dislodge them from one stronghold now that we lack the element of surprise. Instead of arguing amongst ourselves, we should continue diligently prying at this Zara for negotiations. Meanwhile, we won't stand idle," he held up a long, knobby finger, "we should begin forming people to scout the red planet and bring back significant data on the current state of affairs there. Perhaps the enemy is in less of an advantageous position than I suspect. Also, the Treaty should not be abolished; otherwise we will slip back into the ways of the old Federation. Let us begin legally reworking the treaty so we can start commissioning Techno Solon and other enterprises to build us better machines. Sound reasonable? Good." With that, Simba turned about and swept out of the meeting room, shutting the door behind him.

Cedrick Fondor watched him go, eyes calculating. Simba Tapiwa had nearly beaten him for the position of Prime Minister before. And now that it came to war, the old man who had lived in the time of the Colony War was now definitely a threat. He glanced furtively at Mer-Mes and Josiah. They glanced back, eyes alight with similar thoughts. If he was to retain power over the Federation and keep it away from the Simba and the likes of politicians like Luli and Channa, the noble Masai would have to be removed. But then, the old man _knew _what he was doing, and Cedrick didn't when it came to a conflict. Perhaps he could use Simba, until the old man's usefulness ran out.

_This Federation is _mine. _And no giant tribal Wiseman or Martian invader is going to take it from me._

* * *

**Colony Techno Solon**

"I am looking forward to hearing how you plan to replace your cousin," the woman's voice said on the other end, the tone as deadly as sharpened ice sickles.

Tyle Drace gulped as his mind burned itself up in a race for a satisfying answer.

"I'm listening."

Tyle closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "I don't have one—yet"—there was the tap of a fingernail over the phone. "I will!" He insisted.

"Tyle your cousin is no longer here to help you. You should have relied on him more rather than knife him."

"He survived the knifing actually, ah, Madam. It was the battle that took him, it happens in war."

"Which is _why _you should have gotten to him and Flit YEARS ago!" The voice on the other end shouted in rage. It suddenly became calm again, "this is your responsibility now Tyle. Totally yours. I should have become involved years ago, but Don Boyage stopped me. With war going on, I won't need Eldas' support anymore. The Zalam name won't protect the Draces now. Do you understand your position?"

"I-I understand," Tyle said, his uneasy breath producing a stutter.

"Don't be so scared Tyle, it's your weakness. I won't have your services terminated immediately, only if you fail me again. We will have the AGE device _and _my nephew's genius. You _are not to threaten him _until I say otherwise. Are we clear, or shall I go over this again?"

"No, Madam, everything is clear. I will try to obtain the AGE device. I got word that the Federation R&D is starting to construct a second unit, I will take that chance to acquire the Gundam."

"I want the device, Tyle. If I wanted the Gundam, I would have stolen it by now."

"But I was under the impression th-

-You are under many delusional impressions, Tyle. It's unwise of you to think therefore, only to do as you are told. I have a business to run. Contact me when you have _results"_-the line went dead, leaving Tyle to ponder Maria Asuno Diamler's threats in silence.

* * *

**Private Shuttle, en route to Valkyrie subterranean lunar base**

"Would you like some tea, Lady Jasmine?" The attendant asked, an Asian girl of about eighteen.

"Not at the moment," Luli replied in the local language, happy to speak in her native tongue for once. It was always such a simple pleasure visiting her homeland, since she seldom attended to it.

However, Valkyrie was her true haunt, the place where she spun her webs and watched Fondor, Simba, and the rest run in circles to her whims. It was funny, because Fonder was convinced she didn't want the Prime Minister's office. That was true. She opened her graceful fingers and slowly drew them tight. She had something far better, the world was hers and it danced her music.

_Soon, Mars will too. Soon._

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

"What do you want?" The old woman asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously at Yurin L'Ciel, who had been attempting to help her carry the heavy green and white rug slung over her hunched shoulders. "Shoo, you little streetrat!" She jabbed with a gnarled walking stick, forcing Yurin to step back a pace. "I'll not have you stealing my work, that little redhead used to pester me, then he and his little gang would come and…" she continued muttering and cursing to herself as she puttered off further into the crowd.

"I warned you it wouldn't work," Yark Dole Briar said from the side, standing in his usual dark cloak despite the heat.

Yurin brushed sweat away from her brow and sighed. That had been the third person she tried to help. "I'm beginning to see my naiveté. Walking out on the street trying to help these people doesn't make a difference. Especially when they don't what to be helped!" She threw up her hands.

"You being a foreigner is partly to blame," he said, gesturing.

"I don't see how they can tell, I'm dressed just like them," she spun in the violet and burgundy robes warn by the female priestesses, the crimson earrings flashing.

"Even amongst the people of Vagan, different accents accompany the people from different colonies. People here are distrustful of outsiders, one reason I try to make my voice the way it is and wear these simple garbs, unlike the other priests."

Yurin looked around, holding her hands together. She definitely stood out in the crowd, unlike Yark and his simplified clothes. She now understood the way he thought a little more than before. "I guess I will give up on this."

"You have a kind soul, Yurin L'Ciel. Don't let that go," Yark said with a touch of emotion in his voice. He glanced away from the street, "If you want to help the people of Mars, there is where you should look first."

Yurin turned to look down a darkened alley, where a number of small, child-sized silhouettes huddled in the shade. "They alleys…

* * *

**September 2****nd****, AG116-Mars Sphere Second Moon, Fire Temple**

Zoroaster Zara sat quietly in his office, listening to the murmured prayers drifting through the red sandstone walls. A black-rimmed holoscreen floated in front of him as he worked, his mind elsewhere.

Issishar Ezelcant. She certainly had a way with words. No sooner had she said them than it seemed as if they came true. Ezelcant had overextended himself and was once again in cold sleep. That left him, Zoroaster Zara in charge of Vagan's affairs….along with An Grams.

Zara's eyes roved over the information Yark Dole Briar had returned with from his affairs at Ambat. Indeed, it seemed the wider reaches of the Solar System were still inhabited as was thought. But the Jovans spent most of their time warring amongst themselves and had no structure to speak of on any significant level. Saturn was a ghost planet, Uranus as well. That only left Neptune and Pluto in the outer rim, and Venus and Mercury in the inner. But Mercury was too close to the sun and the outermost worlds were likewise too far. But then, wouldn't that make them safer from the guardians patrolling the asteroids?

Regardless of who they were, these unknown ships were a problem that could be dealt with later. Obviously they weren't interested in an all out war yet, and he was content to leave it like that. Better to make sure An Grams didn't hear about them, the fat buffoon would have a heart attack. He also wouldn't budge from Mars upon learning of _more _cloak-wielding enemies.

And that was not going to happen if _Zara _had anything to say about it. Yes, Issishar had touched upon a very important point. Ezelcant could not last forever. Even if he was still "alive" trapped in cold sleep deprived the Supreme Overlord the ability to administrate his empire. It was _he, _Zara who kept Vagan under control. So long as he made some discrete moves to alter the timer on the Supreme leader's cold sleep chamber, he could avoid the nasty job of assassination and continue running things until his own death. Why had he not thought of it sooner?

More importantly, Issishar was a way to keep the Ezelcant name alive. She had made it clear what her objectives were. A world where the X-Rounder was god, and humans set in their proper place. He didn't agree. He was not that cruel a man to wish for genocide. But he also saw the usefulness of such a powerful Extrasensor as Issishar. If Zara wanted to become the new ruler of Vagan, he would need full reign of its people and victory on the battlefield. An Grams was in the way. He would have to convince An Grams to go to Fardain and take control there, and hopefully Yark Dole too. Then he, Zara, could begin working on the people of Vagan.

Issishar had revealed to him the secret location of the Overlord's greatest tool: the Thought Panner that allowed Ezelcant to browse the minds of people just enough to determine their general loyalty. He laughed to himself. The fool had let his daughter run free long enough to be his undoing. "With this, Ezelcant..I will make _you, _my _slave_."


	16. Chapter 16 Apocalypse Moon

_**Chapter Sixteen Apocalypse Moon**_

* * *

**September 1****st****, AG116-Earth Sphere the Moon, Valkyrie subterranean base**

Luli Jasmine strode through the darkened halls of the Valkyrie. The base was formerly the barrel of an old anti-fleet cannon. Now, gutted of _those _internal systems, it was a vast, deep shaft in the Moon's crust, with numerous buildings constructed along the steep walls. Luli strode along one of these, looking down approvingly into the darkness of the well, where a powerful tool lay buried. She didn't have a superlaser, but she _did _have secret weapons Cedrick Fondor would be horrified to learn about. Here, in her lair, she could unleash Ragnarok on Mars if she so chose. Luli resisted the urge to lick her lips. Yes, let Ezelcant, Zara, Cedrick, and Mer-Mes run in circles. It was fun to watch them, unaware that she could crush them all.

Luli opened a PDA and scrolled through a number of reports her far-flung agents filed in her absence. She stopped short for a second, then tapped a long fingernail against the pad and started off again. "A hacker that uses the same code as Grodek Ainoa accessed the systems at Nortrum?" _That monster_. She bared her teeth. He was the one creature out there that escaped the eyes of her police for years, while actually sapping away information from Command's master database; the wildcard from nowhere that appeared to throw her _carefully _timed plans into the wastebasket, ruined and useless.

More interesting than the fact he might have survived Ambat, was the data he brought up. _Well well, _she thought icily. "The EXA-DB. You certainly _are _an unpredictable man, Grodek Ainoa."

Her laughter flew into the darkness of Valkyrie, fading away into an unearthly echo.

* * *

**September 3****rd****, AG116-Mars Sphere, Arndion colony**

The gentle breeze tickled Arabel Zoi's hair, stirring up his bangs as he looked out across the desert. So much of it, partly the ruins of Phobos left over after the creation of Second Moon. He turned back and reentered the stand of rocks, a large hillock in the center of a series of twisting valleys, the remnants of what was supposed to be a river, before water was drained away to be used for who knows what.

The bottom of the cave had once been a metal grating, the tunnels themselves part of a drainage system, but what nature survived in Arndion had managed to claim it. The grating was now gone and great amounts of sand provided an easy slope to the tunnel below. The metal sidings had fallen in most places and been carted off for some other purpose, and lichen and other cave plants grew here in the cool darkness away from the scorched surface.

A base had been erected here, with an old E-GR collapsible turret stationed discretely behind a false wall covered with painted animal hide watching the entrance for anyone stupid enough to come down that way unprepared. For the most part, the jackals were the only things that attempted to descend. Many people might have wanted the beasts dead, but the hyenas were among those beasts that survived the failed terraforming, and that meant everything to the people of Arndion. An Earthborn human would probably not understand the charm of wildlife, Arabel presumed.

He passed the lookouts sitting idle around a camp furnace, the cylinder glowing orange as it slow-cooked chunks of meat the two were holding with spokes. "See any mirages?" The first asked Arabel as he passed.

"No," Arabel replied absently, moving further into the base. He eventually reached a circular room covered in rich, red soil and sat down near the rim by the other entrance, where a patch of little brown plants poked their way up from the dirt. This chamber passed as a common room for the rebels, and Arabel found they were slack in their conversation here more than anywhere else. He spent most of his time just sitting and letting them do the teaching, the hours of honing his patience in the dark, boring halls of Ambat paying off in full now.

The rebels had taken him in because they mistook him for a beggar boy cum target practice for Monora's guards. Arabel soon learned that was a common enough practice for the Zoi palace nowadays. Afterward, their leader, who went by the codename Cinnamon, had been delighted to learn his true identity. She wanted Arabel to act as the group's poster child. After countless years of serfdom to the Zoi, the people of Arndion would not rebel en masse until they had a reliable leader. For now though, Arabel was just a child, and so was left essentially to his own devices.

That was, as far as Arabel was concerned, a good thing, because Arabel wasn't interested in becoming someone's tool. He glanced down at the brown plants and shook one, which released a cloud of brown spores from its ribbed leaves. The thing was a mushroom, actually, but the terraformer didn't know what fungi were supposed to look like apparently and had ended up turning the cave mushrooms into brown little plants that released a dusty powder that passed for cinnamon in Arndion. He always enjoyed comparing the ecology of Earth and Mars, one of the few hobbies his father encouraged even when they moved to Ambat. The cave was full of these plants. Cinnamon herself was the culprit, as she had been a spice merchant before taking up the mantel of "freedom fighter".

There was no one in the common room then, so Arabel found his mind wondering to darker places than the cave.

Second Moon had underlevels filled with Cinnamon's kind. Arabel needed to get to Second Moon, and start finding friends who shared his view.

But first, Monora had to go. The woman was looking for him now, apparently she now figured he was a threat so long as he breathed. She should seduced him into entering the palace where he could be caught like a mouse in a trap, not send him running off like a scared rabbit. But he was in a den now, and he would wait until he had grown into something much more dangerous. First Arndion would see revolution, then Second Moon would have its own world upended by the roots.

* * *

**Second Moon**

Yurin L'Ciel stared at the endless stretch of white buildings before her. Second Moon was surely a massive place. She turned and looked around at what passed as a park for the people of the city. The small area sat atop a small mountain. Red grass covered the ground, with several twisted Acacia trees rising up toward the dominating body of the red planet. She looked down at a small crimson flower blossoming at her feet. Its stems looked tired, as if they didn't get enough water. The grass too was very dry. The people of Vagan were not much different. Resilient, surviving against all the odds, but growing tired with no rest in sight.

It reminded her of her own journeys after her parents were killed. Always trying to stay one step ahead of the gangs that prowled the overcrowded colonies, she never really found time to rest or be a normal kid. Perhaps that was why she came to understand Flit so well. Neither of them ever experienced a normal childhood. For her, it had been a battle to be accepted in a world that seemed designed to bruise and abuse. For him, she shuddered as her fingers instinctively touched the pink, puffy skin on her face. He suffered much worse, and she had been there to watch the worst of it with him.

She looked back at the red planet, so different from the brilliant blue world she had looked at all her life. "I was part of it too," she thought aloud. "Maybe I didn't help him as much as I could have." She didn't think there was much more she could do though. Her body could offer him only so much comfort. She tried to make him see that he had the same potential as her, but she failed to crawl out of her selfishness long enough to teach him about his powers. "I'm sorry Flit," Yurin said, clasping her hands together as the wind began to sweep over the grass. "I didn't want to endure my discomfort, and because of that you didn't master your potential in time. Maybe if I had been a little more helpful, this might not have happened," she touched the burn. Yes, it was her fault, but she could still make some use of it. "I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me, Flit," she said, opening her eyes. Maybe, in the vast mystery of their power, that apology would reach him somehow.

Yurin bent down and dug up the flower, cupping it and its delicate roots in her hands, she started for home. This was a land that needed a healing hand.

**Earth Sphere the Moon, Ultimus Maximus lunar base**

* * *

Flit Asuno dashed aside as the other Genoace rushed in, firing its spray gun. He kicked, but the other machine skidded in on its knees beneath the strike, slamming its shoulder into Flit's mobile suit. Unbalanced, the Genoace crashed to Earth. A heat stick appeared under his Genoace's chin. "You lose," Milias Alloy's voice said from across the comm., the clean connection carrying the smugness dripping from her voice. She was taking pleasure in this moment.

"You win," Flit sighed, folding his arms.

"That makes it three against two," the supervisor said as Milias and Flit stepped out of their respective machines.

Milias squatted and then bounded across in the low gravity, landing, she stepped over, holding her helmet in her hands. "Impressed, Lieutenant?"

"Perfection as always," the supervisor replied with a friendly salute. He turned to Flit with a slightly less benign smile, "You as well, Asuno."

"I still don't understand why I keep losing to you," Flit complained as the two of them walked toward the locker rooms. "I try everything I can, but you read every move. Maybe you're a more powerful X-Rounder than I am."

Milias shook her head and smiled, "Not at all, you're much more accurate with your attacks and far more sensitive. _Your _problem is that you spend too much time analyzing the situation. I don't read your moves as much as I catch you off guard while your mind is busy thinking up a battle plan. Stop trying to be a field commander."

"I wouldn't if it weren't for those mind-numbing tactical analysis routines," he grumbled.

"True, you didn't start this habit until you came here. On the _Diva, _you fought more aggressively and without thinking."

"I was desperate then."

"And you will be when you reenter combat," Milias retorted, she elbowed him playfully in the ribs before retreating to the safety of the women's locker room.

He scowled after her for a moment for good measure, then continued on and soon found himself in the refreshing warmth of the shower. It was probable that his combat experience was limited in its usefulness now that he did not have the Gundam. He would reacquire it later, after filing the proper forms. Still, he didn't want to rely on his creation too much. There was something to be said for learning with a handicap. His X-Rounder senses felt more attuned, if perhaps less active. Milias was right, he needed to feel the fear of real battle again.

"The stakes won't be as high. I can't imagine anything more desperate than Ambat."

* * *

**Colony Nortrum dockyard, the **_**Nightingale**_

"Those new models look pretty nasty," commented Angrazzo Lambro from the viewport of his ship alongside Grodek Ainoa. The bridge was empty for once, save for Mozart, who sat in the corner slowly downing a six pack of beer like it were nothing.

"Does it to get the musician's creativity flowing," was all Angrazzo would say to Grodek on the matter.

"Ract is playing a dangerous game, he needs as many powerful cards as he can get," Grodek said, glancing sidelong at Angrazzo, "like you."

Angrazzo smirked and put his hands behind his head, "Me? Hah, Ract uses me like his private transport service."

"It's true," Grodek said, turning to face Angrazzo. "You're a talented young man to be commanding a ship at nineteen, with most of the crew older than you."

"It's because he's reckless and a favorite of Wilma Nightflare, the previous captain's wife," Mozart called from his station before downing another bottle in one long gulp. "Ah, I believe my next piece; will be haunting, with all light sounds in D minor. But where to bring in the violin…."

Grodek glanced back to Ang, who shrugged. "It's true Ainoa. Wilma picked me. I was expecting her to choose Mhatt, he's a Hound, while I was a nobody then."

"Mhatt is too concerned with himself," Grodek explained, eyes searching Angrazzo's. "You're a much different man. You care about the crew, about your relationship with them. It sets you apart and draws the crew together, instead of driving a wedge between them."

"I kinda get what you are saying man, but those metaphors aren't my style." Angrazzo turned back to see the last Oppressor being loaded. "I'm not sure being a good captain is what Ract wants. He expects us to act like his loyal minions."

"He wants soldiers, that's what he is used to commanding and what he needs," Grodek said.

"What about you?" Angrazzo asked, eyes narrowing. "You and your friend said you wanted to join us, not Elfamel. What are you after?"

"I don't pretend to be Ract's follower. I'm more a collaborator."

"For what?"

Grodek smiled enigmatically. "Curious? What does it matter to a pirate? I think you should be more worried what Ract Elfamel is after. He is trying to hunt down a dangerous beast. I suppose I am as well, but I have other goals. He is searching for power, but me?" Grodek started for the exit, "I am searching for something called justice."

"Have you found it yet?" Mozart asked, finishing the fifth bottle.

"I suppose I caught the scent of it," Grodek replied. He gave Angrazzo another searching glance. "Think about your crew, Angrazzo, first and foremost. Everything else is secondary."

"What stakes will be too high?"

Flit glanced over as another pilot entered the shower, a kid not too different than what Flit might have expected from a teenaged Woolf Enneacle, untarnishable self-image and all. Just another one who didn't have a clue what the real world was like. Flit was beginning to think _all _the other trainees were like that. At least Woolf's bravado could be backed-up on the battlefield.

"I'm just afraid the future battles won't push me enough."

"Eh, getting a little stuck-up there are you?" The other pilot, Siarle Trahaearn, turned to regard him with something akin to scorn.

Flit ignored Siarle. The other pilot seemed to think that Flit's more humble attitude was a sign of weakness. Well, Flit wasn't the kind to brag ceaselessly, at least not yet. He had too much blood on his hands for that.

He had just slipped on his uniform when he felt a strange pulling in the back of his head. His heart leapt, as if in pain, and he stood there for a moment as the feeling died away slowly. He was about to continue and dismiss it as nothing important, when he felt _that _presence flicker behind him. He spun around. For an instant, Yurin was standing there, her hands clasped together. An eyeblink wiped the image away. He blinked several more times to be sure, and turned to go. The green halo rippled past the edge of his vision as a red flower bent over in a gust of wind. He blinked for the tenth time and rubbed his temples.

_Yurin. I couldn't save you. Does this mean…you're still alive? _He had been so broken over Largan and Grodek's deaths, that he had dismissed rescuing Yurin as a wild fantasy. He had given his heart to Emily, but that didn't mean he would let Yurin L'Ciel remain a prisoner of those demons. Although he couldn't imagine how, Flit resolved he would find her again. Not far off, he felt Milias exiting the other locker room, surprised at the sudden burst of energy coming off him. He set his face into a grim scowl and marched into the hall. He couldn't sit around wasting time, the stakes had risen again.

* * *

**September 6****th****, AG116-The **_**Nightingale **_

"I will be departing for Colony Kossel in the Atmite," Ract Elfamel said as he took a seat on the bridge beside Angrazzo Lambro. He glanced over at Mozart, who was steadily drinking away an entire case of wine while he scribbled thoughtfully on a piece of scale paper. "Mr. Mozart, I don't think it is wise to indulge in such pleasures at this time. One mishap on any of your parts and the fleet stationed here will be on our heels."

"He doesn't get drunk," Angrazzo retorted with a shrug. "Ever."

"And he's not the one in charge of getting us out of here," Yianna piped up from her seat, long braids of hair wagging behind her head like snakes. "Remember that."

"How comforting," Ract muttered. He glanced at Grodek's empty seat, now occupied by Iris. He gave her a sultry glance. She understood and rose quietly, moving over to Angrazzo, she grabbed at his shirt collar and pulled him out of his captain's chair.

"Looks like I have some business to take care of. Yianna, Guss, be sure to keep a watch on those sensor buoys."

"We know we know, snag lines," Guss said, somewhat hurt. "And shouldn't you be on the bridge at a time like this, Ang?"

"And let her bug everyone?" Angrazzo asked, gesturing at Iris.

"I might cause a ruckus and get us all caught," she said with a smile.

At that, the two of them unceremoniously left the bridge.

"Now that _he's _gone," Mhatt Oliver stepped over from his console and settled into the captain's chair. "Now, My Lord, you have a true leader in charge."

"Oh please," Guss muttered. "Here we go again. Should I get Nike up here, or are you going to mutiny right in front of us?"

"I wouldn't go along with that," Mozart said, not looking up as he continued his scribbling.

"If you get rid of the Pink Princess I'll let you do as you please," Yianna said.

"Oh come on, Yianna you wouldn't let Ang down like that," Guss complained. He paused. "Uh, don't mean to ruin the mood, but where exactly are we bound? I need to plot a course for us."

"_I _need you to plot a course," Yianna said. "I assumed we were heading directly to the Kossel."

"There is a detour we need to stop by first," Ract said. "I want to scout what remains of Fardain."

_And,_ he told himself, _Grodek tapped a transmission reporting a mysterious machine in that vicinity. I lost its trail at Ambat, so it is best to start tracking it before the sent grows too cold._

He glanced at Mhatt and smiled. "Angrazzo has no backbone, I'm counting on you not to get frightened by those fleets of military ships, Mr. Oliver."

Mhatt grinned. "Don't worry. I've got everything under control."

Ract sat back in his seat and smirked at the irony of that statement.

* * *

**New Mazatlan Isle, Brucia Administrator's Safehouse **

"You must remove Simba Tapiwa," Amadis Largo said darkly. "He is planning something."

"I know he is," Cedrick Fondor said, sitting dejectedly in a metal chair. The confines of his office were dreary and cell-like. Not that he expected much different from this underground bunker. "I want my villa repaired as soon as possible," he wrapped the jacket tighter about him. "This place is about to give me the flu."

"This is serious," Amadis snapped, throwing his hands down on the grey metal table. "Simba is a grave threat. If you're not careful, the Prime Minister will be someone like him or Luli Jasmine."

"Calm down, Amadis. This is where you lack experience," Cedrick replied with a frown. "Vodka. Something to stave off this nasty chill."

"Concentrate. What do you plan to do?" Amadis demanded.

"Well you can't complain about me being locked up in a refrigerator. Now, obviously Simba is plotting my ruin. But he will wait until the next election. At the worst I can just let him fix this war for me and steal the credit. He's not totally clean, nothing is too deep for Luli Jasmine to dig up."

"This is what I'm talking about Cedrick, you trust her too much."

"No no, Luli isn't interested in the office. If she did, I would be dead by now or would have at least seen it coming. She's happy ruling over her little secret police and its dirty secrets. Channa is no threat so long as I don't interfere with her solar power monopoly, which I haven't. And Josiah Rodwain is a complete idiot who is easily dealt with. That leaves Mer-Mes, who isn't popular enough to topple me."

"There are other magistrates aside from them you know."

"Ah," Cedrick raised a finger, "but those five are the only ones who came to the meeting. The others are either scared or hiding in some cubby hole spinning webs. They will be dealt with _after _this war. Actually, among those I mentioned, only Mer-Mes is actively vying to replace me."

"But he is a loyal member of your inner circle," Amadis said, surprised. "Are saying he's actually an enemy?"

"Of course. Why do you think I added him on, Amadis? 'Always keep your enemies close'. It's a well known tactic. He agreed to it because I allowed him to use the Special Forces for his Cleansing project. That's over and done with, so I can now prepare to remove him. He's in a dangerous position if the Special Forces' top brass decide to blab his name."

Amadis scowled and was silent for a moment. "Cedrick, what are your goals?" He asked at last. "You agreed with Operation Cleansing, but now don't care to pursue it. You allowed so many to be murdered, but won't give the order to have Simba removed. What are you after?"

Cedrick shook his head and smiled. "If you think I have a grand master plan in mind Amadis, you're wrong. I just want to play the game until I win the prize: more power. That's what everyone wants ultimately. And that's what I'm going to get by the end." He smiled. "It doesn't matter who wins—the good or the bad—I will be in the winner's circle."

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

Yurin L'Ciel slipped out of the doorway, closing the hidden passage, she crept swiftly from under the total blackness of the Fire Temple's sheer side.

Minutes later, she was amongst the burning street lamps and twisted shadows. Yurin made certain _not _to look up, where the horrific body of Mars hung like an apocalyptic sign. At night, without the bright rays of Second Moon's false sun, the sky displayed the terraformers corrupted achievements.

Spreading from a gristly dark green crater, green root-like veins spread slowly across the planet's surface like glowing fingers. The atmosphere shimmered with swirling diamond-dust clouds that vanished almost as soon as they began. Now and then, a lazy red light winked from the crater itself, a reminder that the terraformer was not quite destroyed, despite numerous bombardments from the Vagan. Yurin found that thought supremely disturbing.

It didn't take long to sense the first gangs; groups of all kinds, slinking about searching for food or blood or both. If an unfortunate were to run into one of these packs, they probably met a bad end. She had to avoid _all _of them to get to those that really needed help. Yurin let her senses do the work.

She never told Flit the true reason she despised using her powers. It reminded her of times like this. As flashes of danger ran through her mind, it brought back _that _feeling. The very day she fled with her parents as they raced through the darkened underlevels. They didn't understand her power, and she was too young then to even make sense of the raw fear setting her brain on fire, much less explain to them that no matter what they did, they were going to find a dead-end.

And that had only been the beginning for her after that. Years of it, running, running, running through darkened streets like this to get away from those gang leaders, the only ones who held any value in her powers. By the time she moved to brighter, safer colonies, the terror and pain of using her senses drew out that same burning fear of the night she lost everything.

Yurin gritted her teeth as every fiber in her body screamed in alarm, her cells convinced they were being hunted again in the depths of a colony. These children needed her help, she refused to hide in the Fire Temple and ignore them.

She finally reached a place where she knew they gathered. It was an eatery that sometimes threw out scraps. Usually in was just some Mineral Mix derivative, but it was a lifesaver for many of those condemned to the streets of Second Moon. Yark Dole had said that the state did what it could for these wretches, but Yurin didn't press him for more explanations. She knew well that there was no stopping the underworld from festering, especially in a land like this. Alarm rippled through her. Refusing to back down, she rounded the corner and came to stand in the shadowed alleyway, where two packs of hungry children were tearing at each other like animals. She stepped forward, shining a light on them that she had brought with her. Some retreated immediately deeper down the alley, disappearing like wraiths—but she still felt their terror and anger at her intrusion. She felt like crying, they were the ones that needed the most help from her_. The X-Rounders. _

Slowly, Yurin bent down and placed the bundle of bread on the ground and began to break it into pieces. A little girl with white hair stepped forward first, desperate for food. Yurin handed her an ample piece. The child glanced around furtively, ready to spring away from anyone trying to steal her portion. Yurin smiled and drew the child close. In a rush, the other children dashed for the bread to tear it away in a feeding frenzy. Yurin halted them with a pointed pistol, her face one of warning. She resolved to help them, including more than filling their stomachs.

One by one, the children stepped forward and received a piece, then scurried off into the shadows.

* * *

**September 6****th****, AG116-Earth Sphere Fardain, the **_**Nightingale**_

"It certainly feels ironic," Ract Elfamel said as he stared out the viewport at the brown cylinder of Fardain, devoid of its three mirror panels. "I always imagined what it would be like to fortify the colony and let the Federation flounder outside hopelessly."

Grodek Ainoa stared at the scene without reply, eyes scanning the Vagan battlelines. "Their defenses are impressive, on par with what I predicted after they captured Fardain."

"I feel sorry for those Feddie pilots," Mhatt Oliver commented from his station, "the top brass will let them all get killed before they give up."

"Sacrificing your soldiers like an expendable commodity is despicable," Ract said with a sigh. "EUBA would not be so callus with its soldiers. We value them for their service."

"Of course," Grodek nodded. He glanced back at Angrazzo, who stared at him quizzically. "I'm sure Ambat was a terrible burden for you to bear. I'm sorry it cost us so much."

"It was necessary," Ract said, turning to Grodek with a confused frown. "You made it clear what the death toll might be. We did our part."

"And I thank you," Grodek said, stepping toward the bridge exit, "even if it was callus of you," he added, too quiet for Ract to hear. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Angrazzo _had. _

* * *

**November 11****th****, AG 116-Mars Sphere Arndion colony**

The daylight began to fade across the long reaches of the sand, lengthening the shadows in the city. Suddenly, a blazing fireball blossomed in the city square, creating a twisting, writhing pattern of shadows at the edge of the metropolis. Screams tore through the air over the inferno.

"What in the world happened?" Monora Zoi shrieked, leaping from her lounge chair on the balcony of the Zoi palace, her glass of water falling from her hands, crashing to the floor.

"We're under attack!" The chief of her guards yelled over the intercom. "Scramble the defense corps. Lady Monora, please go to the bomb shelter."

"Yes," Monora muttered, her eyes dazed as she stared sweating at the ferocious blaze. "Captain, was that the capital building?"

"Yes, the fire will be under control in minutes—now please"—his words died off abruptly and the intercom went silent.

* * *

Arabel Zoi stepped over the corpses of Monora's bodyguards, unflinching. In less than a minute, he reached the balcony. Memories of his life with Geera swarmed around him as he ascended the stairs, but he willed them away. This was not the time to reminisce.

"Captain, where were—Arabel!?" Monora Zoi drew back, clutching her robe. "What you are doing," shrieked Monora as Arabel raised his rifle to her heart.

"This is a birthday present," Arabel said, eyes narrowing.

"Wait—I am your bloodkin. The city is-

-I know the city is aflame," Arabel said, glancing at the dying fires in the distance, "it will not be so for long. But you…You should have dealt with me when you had the chance, fool."

"No!" The beam lanced out, grazing Monora's shoulder. She crumpled to the floor, gripping the withered remains of her left arm. A desiccated finger broke to the floor.

Arabel watched Monora scream for a moment, it didn't make him feel any better, though he wasn't doing this for satisfaction anyway. He looked back, Cinnamon should be on her way up to gloat.

"The tyranny of the Zoi House ends today," Arabel said to the trembling woman. "Change has come to Arndion."

"Change has come to _all _of Vagan," a slender woman said, approaching from the stairwell, dressed in a brown and grey shirt that stopped at the waist, revealing her long, slender legs and white pants. Her head was covered by a hood, her dark eyes shining from underneath.

Arabel stepped away from Monora and passed Cinnamon by. "I don't want to watch anymore, Cinnamon."

"You must be strong, Arabel," Cinnamon said, somewhat condescending. She turned back to Monora, "I've suffered under your rule for long enough." She drew her own pistol and fired, wiping Monora Zoi away in a wave of flames. A gust of wind picked up her ashes and hurled them out overhead, into the desert.

Arabel stared after the ashes. Arndion was his again. "Happy Birthday, Father."

* * *

**January 3****rd****, AG117-Big Ring**

Flit could hardly believe the day had finally come. It felt as if he had been a prisoner of the Federation's training regimen for decades. All around him, the other formally commissioned officers strode about with their families, who had been allowed to join in the celebration before the new pilots were assigned. The ceremony galled Flit. Not that he felt jealous at having no parents to call up. If he wanted, he might have summoned Emily Amonde.

He opened his PDA and brought up an image Emily had sent on his request from her high school prom. It felt good to know she could attend school safely without the UE descending to blast her world to atoms. She looked stunning in that sky blue dress, with her cream colored hair falling in braids about her neck and shoulders like a waterfall. The photo didn't do her dancing blue eyes justice, but it suited him well enough for his needs. He wished he _had _asked her to come, but knew it would only bring her discomfort at a commissioning ceremony.

Besides, he knew very well that this might be the last these people saw of their loved ones. How could they celebrate?

"What else should they do, hold prearranged funerals?" Woolf Enneacle stepped over, smiling broadly, his white uniform easily standing out in the crowd of blue jacketed pilots and officers. He pointed at his face, "It's in that frown your drill sergeant stuck on your face when you weren't looking."

"You must have been a _joy _for the training staff," Flit said.

"Oh, that's a story in itself," Woolf smiled. He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Want to hear it?" He stopped and glanced down at the picture of Emily. "Oh, I see how you got through all those lonely nights. See," he aimed for Flit's ribs with his elbow, "I told you she'd be a knockout."

"Would you try to hold some form of dignity," Flit asked with a sigh.

"Flint, you let the military stick a rod up your ass," Woolf said with a shake of his head, "loosen up a little. You were so uptight before, now you're going end up forgetting how to smile." He glanced at Flit for a moment longer, then shook his head. "You know what, never mind." He began to search the crowd. "Seen Milias?"

"She's with her cousins," Flit pointed to a circle of slim, attractive brown-headed girls, all of whom appeared nearly identical. One of them looked up then, wearing the close-fitting white jeans and blue jacket of a pilot.

"Whoever set the dress code for pilots knew what they were doing," Woolf said with a grin, eyeing Milias' brown boots as she clicked her heel against her shin and scowled at him, folding her arms. Her cousins took one look in Woolf's direction before they started giggling amongst themselves.

Flit decided to let Woolf to his own devices, knowing full well that Milias could handle the likes of Woolf. He stepped outside. Several other families were leaving as well, most of whom stared at him in mild surprise as Flit made for a black limousine parked at the front steps, a pair of black-suited valets bowed to him imperiously, then opened the door for him to step inside. Flit complied, he found himself face to face with Boyage as he entered the posh enterior.

"Congratulations, boy," the old man said with a wily grin, creasing the scar on his cheek. "I'm glad you decided to take up my offer."

"You only did that because you want me to develop Zalam mobile suits."

"That Ract found himself a master hacker. I can't help they erased all of the old mobile suit plans. With FTC gone, I doubt I'd find another copy anywhere except at Maximus."

"Don, Young Master, shall we depart?" Asked the remaining valet, bowing.

"Of course, make for the spaceport, we're on to Solon City," Boyage trained his attention back on Flit, "by the way, we have to discuss what you plan to do about your aunt. When we arrive-

-Wait, please hold the car!" A voice called. The valet turned quickly back to Boyage and Flit.

"Sirs, it appears a young blonde officer is approaching. I believe he his-

-Ah, I apologize for my show," the man said, running up, "I was speaking with the base commander and didn't notice your departure, Ensign Asuno."

"Speak of the devil," Boyage muttered, "or in this case, her son. What do you want, rascal? I thought you'd be in prison waiting for the electric chair."

Flit glanced over the man, who wore the blue uniform of a captain, his young, handsome face had a strange, familiar quality to it, particularly the eyes. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" Flit asked.

"Oh, I apologize again. I am your cousin, Adalbrecht Diamler," he held out a hand. "I'm pleased to finally meet you. I asked for leave from the front lines to see your commissioning."

"The front of the line in Death row he means," Boyage corrected.

"Indeed, the battle at Fardain is beginning to look it-

-I'm sorry, but I'm obviously missing something," Flit said, thoroughly confused. "Is there a problem with him, Boyage? Other than him being my aunt's son?"

"I can answer that," Adalbrecht said, sounding ashamed. He put his hands behind his back, "your good benefactor is referring to my time as a member of the Special Forces."

Flit's eyes filled with a cold fire in an instant. "Valet, take us out of here immediately."

"I assure you I was not privy to their actions," Adalbrecht said quickly before the valet could yank him away. "I stand formally exonerated of any crime. I'm not in prison are I?"

"Only because the judge was afraid your witch of a mother would turn him into a _real _kangaroo," Boyage snapped. "Driver."

The valet finally yanked the clingy Adalbrecht away and leapt inside, slamming the door behind him, as well as drawing a pistol from his coat, just in case. "Don, should we be concerned?"

"Always be concerned where Maria Diamler is involved," he turned to Flit. "Remember this Flit, she married your uncle first, and then removed _him _when she was finished. That woman's a poor excuse for a human. Her spawn isn't much better. I have a valued resource that told me Adalbrecht was a close friend of Admiral Stonewell, and he was the overseer for Operation Cleansing."

"You mean-

-he helped plan out their attacks."

Flit looked down to find blood trickling from his fist, his knuckles white. He forced himself to relax, but the fists refused to obey. "He had the _nerve _to walk up and say those things to me. What does he want?"

"Your plans, your name, your genius, your soul if he can get it," Boyage replied airily. "Now about that deal you wanted to make with the government, about that toy ball I saw you with now and then?"

"I got the idea when Haro piloted the Gundam in Fardain. The design is from the AGE device, though I reworked it into a child's toy. I can't be sure, but its original purpose was to serve as an AI brain for mobile suits. The military will have uses for that, I'm sure." Flit frowned in thought. "Boyage, have you heard anything else about the Gundam project?"

"A second model will be rolled out this time next year."

"A whole year! But they should be finished by now!"

"Tsk tsk, don't underestimate the power of red tape, it'll boggle your mind. I, ah, have heard a rumor that a certain female trainee is being selected for it."

Flit frowned. "You don't mean Milias?"

"She's an X-Rounder, the only other one currently enrolled in the military. Since the Silver Chalice forbids the conscription of X-Rounders, they tend to take very good care of the ones they have."

"I'm surprised they haven't broken _that _law as well," Flit deadpanned.

Boyage chuckled. "Wait until this war is over."

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon, Fire Temple**

Yark Dole Briar sat brooding in his quarters on an ash-colored rug, resting his chin between his thumb and forefinger. A holoscreen in front of him showed the stasis capsule of Decil Galette. It turned out the boy survived his battle with the Gundam and ended up drifting. Yark was surprised he survived. Regardless, here Decil was, back at Second Moon. For now, Yark had ordered him sealed away until he was needed. No sense in torturing Yurin, who would undoubtedly chafe at having the red-headed child running amok in the same temple as her after what happened between them.

He switched off the image and removed his mask. Staring down into the empty-eye holes, he found his mind wondering back to times before he went to Earth. "Yurin L'Ciel, for months you've been risking your life in the alleys for the helpless of this colony." He smiled, it was nice to know she felt compassion, Yark had begun to doubt in humanity's capacity for the emotion. At the same time, it galled him.

"_She's just like you were in the oooold days," _a voice cooed in his ear. Yark Dole's eyes twitched and shut. He cleared his head with a shake, and, putting on the mask, stepped out of his quarters where the voice could not follow.

* * *

**March 25****th****, AG117-The Moon, Valkyrie subterranean base**

"The times are growing dangerous. On one side we have Simba Tapiwa, playing the benevolent hero. In the center we have poor Cedrick Fondor, comely and smart," Luli Jasmine laughed, as if enjoying some personal joke, the young man standing at attention before her in his black uniform, didn't get let on, "On the other side, we have the cooperate conglomerate Techno Solon manipulating the poor, starving remnants of Zalam, but their plans to revive their little empire is known to me and it will come to naught. Maria Diamler used them as a means of profit, now that the Federation will be ordering thousands of Genoace suits, she will discard Zalam like so much trash."

Luli stood from her chair at the center of a circular computer console with a ring of holographic blue monitors rising to the ceiling, giving dim light to the otherwise shadowed office. She straightened and placed her hands behind her back. "And in the center is me, the director of the Federation's secret police," she fixed her gaze on her agent, "Your mission is a simple one. There are dissidents amongst our forces thanks to that meddling Grodek Ainoa. There are those in our military who resent the actions taken by the Special Forces. We must find them out and remove them. If we fail, they will spread like tumors in the system and bring disorder. Observe and test those you are assigned to active duty with. Report to me at every opportunity. When we have found all the threats from amongst even the _smallest _cells of our military, we will purge them. Are your orders clear?"

"Yes, Director Jasmine."

"You may go. You will be briefed on your mission and where you will be stationed." Luli watched the spy leave and smiled to herself. Cedrick Fondor's smugness blinded him. He didn't even realize the pillar on which he sat would soon topple beneath him and crush everything he ever built. "I will build the foundations of my own rule with the rubble." She grinned and sat back down, pressing a switch. All was going quite differently than she anticipated. But thankfully, she already had insurgents in place to keep the Vagans at bay, so her plans were beginning to reshape into something promising again.

"Report." She commanded.

The distorted, almost incoherent visage of Cinnamon Maugh crackled onto the face of one of the monitors. She saluted. "Director, I have successfully begun the insurrection of the local populace on the Vagan Arndion colony. The leading clan members of the Zoi have all been eliminated and the populace is all but in open revolt," she flicked a strand of mahogany hair from her eyes.

"That is good," Luli said, folding her graceful arms over her lap, studying what she could of Cinnamon's expressions. This agent had always been hasty in her reports, obscuring facts. "Were there any setbacks?"

"None whatsoever. In fact, a member of the family, Arabel Zoi, the one we rescued, is now assisting us in our revolt. I foresee he can become a valuable puppet for us. We can use him as the public figure when the Supreme Leader and Sun Priest are removed from their respective offices."

"Not so fast," Luli snapped, "Your orders were to destroy Arabel Zoi."

Cinnamon hesitated, "But Director, he is perfect."

Luli scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Very well, I will think it over," she raised a long, graceful finger and slowly drew a circle in the air, "keep a close watch on him. If he shows signs of resisting manipulation, kill him. I will make contact with you again with updates on your mission."

Cinnamon bowed deeply, "I hear and obey, Director Jasmine. Maugh out."

* * *

**Mars Sphere, Arndion colony**

Arabel's heart raced as he pressed himself against the wall, listening to Cinnamon—no—Cinnamon Maugh as she made her report. The leader of the resistance, a spy? How could she do something like that? She'd given the people of Arndion a breath of something they hadn't felt in years, freedom to rule themselves. Arabel clinched his fists and began to sneak away quietly. So it was all just a sham. There were no revolutionaries born in Arndion, just a spy bent on causing disorder behind enemy lines. Geera had taught him about spies, it was a good tactic.

_If Cinnamon isn't a revolutionary, then someone's got to do it when she gets caught. _His eyes hardened. He would step in when opportunity struck. Then Grodek Ainoa would hear from him again.

* * *

Luli sat back and bent her fingers into a cathedral. She couldn't help but smile. Luli Jasmine would not take the world. She would take both of them. She stood and summoned the base commander, her hands already flying across the surrounding control board like an organist at their instrument. Images flashed on the screens about her, diagnostics checks ran past in long streams of data, pies and bar charts flashed to life and began to climb and shift.

"Lady Jasmine?" The commander asked, appearing at the door as it slid open, spraying light into the darkened room. The chamber grew frosty again as the door slid shut and the commander stopped short, sweat beading on his brow as his sharp wits instantly realized what his director was about. "Director, you-

-Commander, you are to make the Doll ready. Prepare all its systems and increase the transmission controller to full boost. Agent Maugh is losing my confidence, as does Fondor and his capacity to wage war. It is high time we dealt a decisive blow."

* * *

**April 11****th****, AG117, Colony Torrian**

"I can't believe you made a whole _production _line of them," Emily Amonde's voice said over the chat screen, "Are you crazy? Just what do you expect them to do anyway?"

Flit Asuno smiled to himself, it was nice to hear Emily's voice in the morning, though her calls were also beginning to grow a bit irritating. "Don't you have classes to get to?"

"Trying to brush me off so easily?"

"You just love waking me up to nag me. It's starting to get annoying."

"Hey, it's good practice. You know how a married guy feels."

Flit felt his eye twitch, "somehow I don't think your role as a wife is to spend your mornings condemning my business choices."

"Yeah well, I wouldn't if you actually came to visit more often. We've only been on a date twice since you got back. I beginning to think your promise was about coming back to live at Torrian and had nothing to do with me at all!"

"What else did you think it was?" Flit asked with a grin.

"Watch yourself," Emily retorted. "I have them waiting in line here at the school. I might decide to take them up on their offer, one guy brought me flowers. When was the last time _you _did that?"

"Hey, I send you gifts. I gave you the latest memo on the Age-1's progress."

"Oh, my heart's poundin' Flit Asuno. What's this buzzing in my ear, am I going to swoon?"

"Alright fine, I'll meet with you for lunch, happy?" Flit said, growing impatient.

"Lunch—I have chemistry. School doesn't let out until later. Becoming a commissioned pilot sure didn't teach you anything about the real world," she sighed in a huff, "I'll call you later."

Flit put his PDA away and stepped into the opulent dining hall and took a seat by Boyage in a giant oaken chair. "Sometimes I wonder why I fell in love with her. She doesn't appreciate anything about the real world."

"She's pretty and persistent," Boyage laughed as he cut into his grilled salmon. "If you _didn't _promise her you'd come back to marry her, I have the feeling she would have joined the military herself and dogged you until you got shot down."

"Probably," Flit said, taking his fork and knife, "By the way, the military seems to find the H.A.R.O line a success. I won't have to live off your generosity for much longer."

"Oh enough of that trash, you're like family to me. Besides, I owe your parents."

Flit glanced suspiciously at Boyage, taking a bite of egg. "You said something like that before. What are you talking about?"

"I'll keep saying it until I find something I've been meaning to give you: your father's journal."

"His journal?"

"Yep," Boyage sipped a glass of grape juice. "An old..acquaintance of mine barrowed it without asking. I'm working out a way to get it back." Boyage's eyes seemed to cloud over. "Anyway, some news came in from the R&D. They finally authorized the production of the AGE-1 II. They started on the frame yesterday."

"Yes!" Flit leaped up, stabbing his fork triumphantly in the air. Boyage cleared his throat and Flit sat down quickly with a slightly reddened face. "I apologize. Boyage, why did they start the production so quickly when they were set against it so badly. I thought they would never allow it to be constructed."

"A bigwig in the Federation who has some pull in the bureaucracy. I think it was a magistrate in the African district, some giant, but I don't keep up with them. My concern is with Zalam and EUBA."

"Has there been any word on Ract Elfamel? I wanted to thank him for helping us, it's what Grodek would have wanted," Flit said, standing up.

Boyage nodded. "Last I was able to track, he disappeared somewhere around Minsry, and popped up again in the Atmite. He's been moving about the shipyards. My guess is he's busy rebuilding his fleet. Some members of the Investigation Bureau are following him, if that's any indication that he's up to something illegal."

"Then he'll be arrested."

"Well, that's the strange thing, no one has been able to find him. He appears at a shipwright firm, then vanishes again. Once or twice he popped up in the Forge Zone, but also vanished, even though that area is swarming with Techno Solon Zalam. It's like he has an invisible ship that isn't registered at port. Probably has a deal going with smugglers," Boyage looked up, "you leaving?"

"Yes, I have to go the base. I guess I'll be meeting my teammates today."

"You don't sound like you're looking forward to that."

"Being involved with the R&D is time-consuming. I want to join the siege at Fardain as soon as a I can, but they keep coming up with more and more paperwork for me to fill out."

"I told you once and I'll tell you again, the Federation wasn't designed to fight a war—not like Zalam. Maybe you could throw some models our way and let us fix all our problems."

Flit stepped out of the room and shook his head.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon, Fire Temple**

"Certainly you can feel it," Zara said, his voice low, "the sense of impending unrest."

"I have," Yark Dole Briar admitted, standing beside Zara as the two looked out a balcony on the temple's highest tower. The dying light of Solar made the orange and red mosaic on the floor glow with warmth. "What do you wish to do about it?"

Zara seemed to hesitate, as if debating whether to tell Yark Dole something he felt he shouldn't. At last he waved his hand dismissively. "It is of no concern. We will deal with this unrest on Arndion, it shall not spread here, I assure you of that."

"As you decree," Yark Dole said. "Zoroaster, is something the matter? I feel a great deal of tension coming from you, and that is without my powers."

"It's nothing, nothing," Zara said quickly. "The Overlord's daughter tampered with the clone embryo that's all. We'll have to start over completely."

"Should his Excellency not be informed first?"

"No. He suffered greatly after his daughter's inevitable treachery. Another blow might toss him over the edge," Zara leaned down over the rail. "What's she doing?"

"Whom?" Yark Dole leaned over as well, seeing the figure of Yurin L'Ciel moving from the base of the temple. "Oh, she takes food to the orphans this time of day, or close to it."

"I'm sure that brings back memories of when you were the young, determined priest, neglecting your duties to serve the poor. If it weren't for that, you would be Zoroaster, not I."

"Yes," Yark Dole watched the girl go. "Do you regret I didn't?"

"No," Zara replied with a smile. "Although I know you have moved past such naiveté. You now know those poor wretches cannot be helped. Come, we have more important matters of state to discuss. The streetrats won't be going anywhere."

Yark watched Yurin disappear behind a wall, "You're right. They'll always be there."

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Colony Torrian military base**

"From this point forward you will be the White Team, and shall operate as the _Diva's _mobile suit force. You will follow orders from Captain Tinel and Commander Enneacle respectively." The brown haired officer activated a wall monitor, revealing a photo taken of a Vagan convoy. "This picture was taken three standard days ago, and will be arriving at Fardain within one week. Thanks to the asteroid cameras in this particular area, we identified thirteen _So Lin _class transport ships, four _Fa Raza _battleships, and three vessels not clearly identified but believed to be a kind of weapons platform. Your first mission with the _Diva _is to intercept and destroy this fleet before it reaches the safety of Fardain's first defensive sphere," he brought up an image of the heavily fortified installation. "We estimate their route will take them through here…

Flit studied the map carefully. The Federation had been content for the past few months to simply barricade the Vagans inside their captured stronghold. The remains of the initial fighting still showed where a field of debris clustered between the first field of defense and the Federation fleet. He clinched his fists. Mass producing the Gundam would have completely turned the tide of this battle. He glanced over the other pilots, Siarle Trahaearn among them. Flit decided to put the other pilot out of his mind. Siarle wasn't the type to survive for long, and Flit had lost too many people already to grow close to another pilot now, and end up regretting it when they died. That was the logic of the military, though Flit knew well it just didn't work. People bonded while under fire. He put his mid back on the enemy, where his attention was needed most.

_The UE—no, the Vagans are taking advantage of the Silver Chalice. It's slowing us down from advancing our technology faster. _Boyage's words floated into his mind, and he could not deny that—treason though it was—more lives would be saved in the long run if another, more active government took control. Flit willed the thoughts away. He had sworn an oath to the Federation, and he would not break it yet just to bring a swifter end to the war.

He wondered what the slain thought of that.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

Yurin L'Ciel stopped by a corner house made into a larger building, hearing the sound of coughing. She covered her mouth instinctively, moving further away from the window and into the side alley. Yark Dole warned her the danger of encountering people with disease. She realized she couldn't take away their illness, but she _couldn't _ignore they were there. Finished debating, she went to the window and took food out of the woven bag she was carrying, an apple and a bag of figs. Yurin frowned at the apple, were there blue apples on Earth? She took it as another quirk of the genetic engineering used to resist the terraformer's ruinous discharges.

Yurin cleared her throat and sat the food on the window sill. A woman appeared a moment later, old and haggard. "Why thank you," the woman said, "my sister is sick, an apple is just what she wanted. But—why?"

"I come here to feed the alley kids, but when I heard the coughing and the warning on the door, I felt like giving something. Is there any medicine you need? I might be able to get it at the temple."

"This is all a bit much, the Fire Temple? The streetrats?" She frowned and her face lit up with recognition. "Hold it, you're that foreigner from the market," the woman said, leaning out the window.

"Yes," Yurin said, holding the bag, she titled her head, "I hope I can help." She looked at the warning sign on the door, alerting passersby of the potentially hazardous illness within. "The priests-

-Yes yes you said something about that," the old woman interrupted, bobbing her head. "I owe you an apology dear heart, I thought you were a thief." Her eyes seemed to look back somewhere far away, "You remind me of someone I used to know, a long time back. Yark Briar? He used to come by here all the time, bringing food and medicine. Touched this district he did. I wish he became Zoroaster. It would have changed Second Moon."

"_Really_," Yurin said, she looked down. Yark Dole and her were going to have a talk when she got back. A long one.

A tremor ran through the old woman, and she collapsed against the sill. Yurin felt a bolt of fear of her own and dropped her bag. Yurin rushed forward, but the old woman recovered, holding her robes tight about her thin shoulders. "I'm sorry, goodness what was that?" Yurin shook her head wordlessly as she stooped down to pick up the bag's spilled contents. Wordlessly, both women looked up as one toward the orange surface of Mars.

* * *

**Earth Sphere New Mazatlan Isle, Brucia, Prime Minister's Residence**

"Ah, it's nice to be back where I belong," Cedrick Fondor leaned back in a leather chair, behind a new desk, this one made of hardwood, in a new house along the shoreline. It didn't have quite as good a view, the war memorial was a pile of rubble, the last bit of untampered-with history. He poured another glass of wine. At this point his mind was buzzing so nicely he'd long forgotten what kind it was.

"Amadis, relax, you have a scowl on your face."

"Are you sober?"

"I'm not inclined to get _totally_ drunk on the job," Cedrick replied, sitting up.

"Cedrick, if you want to remain Prime Minister, you have to do something about Simba Tapiwa. _Now._"

"I already told you, he's no trouble."

"We can't find him anywhere, he's disappeared. Jasmine's no help either, I can't get anything substantial out of her. We are at war with an enemy who possesses an edge against us that you've seen with your own eyes. I suspect Jasmine and Simba are plotting something—separately or otherwise."

"So? Simba's only concerned about winning the war and Luli only cares about running her little show on the dark side of the Moon. We've both coexisted long enough to know our respective powers don't conflict."

"So you don't mind Simba fighting this war for you?"

"Why not? Amadis, the first thing you need to know about being a perfect ruler is this: use the resources at your disposal. As it stands, I don't have to stick out my neck for any of his crazy plans. I take the glory, he takes the work."

Amadis turned and marched out of the office, his face flushed with rage. If Cedrick wanted to play and watch everyone do their jobs while he sipped wine, then let him.

While Cedrick wasted time the powers that be were going to move. _If we're going to strike, we have to do it soon. _He took out his PDA and searched for Simba Tapiwa's personal number. Amadis Largo served the Federation's people, not its rulers.

* * *

"Have you found the target?"

"Yes," Tyle Drace said, somewhat irritated as he sat in an inconspicuous white car. "I should be with Grandfather. Negotiations are my forte, not pointless surveillance." The man on the earpiece said something. "No he doesn't. The AGE device is a complicated and extremely valuable possession. Flit Asuno has it in a vault somewhere, I guarantee it. How should I know where?" Tyle looked up through his sunglasses—his eyes widened. "I'll contact you in a sec, something just came up."

* * *

**Boyage Residence**

Their steps echoed in the vaulted hall, the noise reaching up to the paintings of cherubs in the circular dome far above. Boyage glanced down at the green marble and its darkened veins. Every now and then, he glanced warily back at his guest. He knew well enough from the past what kind of snake Eldas Drace could be, all those Draces were a little reptilian. "Let's not beat around the bush, Eldas, you came here for more than my art collection—Spill it."

The tall, dignified old man stiffened and turned away from a sculpture and stared down at Boyage evenly, "I think you have more artwork than anyone else here. Isn't that an original? From the Renaissance? It's worth more than this house."

"The AGE device isn't here. Look someplace else."

_That _got a reaction. Eldas' face contorted for a split second in disgust. "So, you know where he's hiding it do you?"

"It's useless if you don't have the mobile suit and Builder to go with it."

"I have men working on that," Eldas replied, putting his hands behind his back. "You should be on our side, Boyage. You've been working on the boy, you of all people should be able to help us. Besides, if Maria gets her hands on those plans, we will lose Techno Solon's support."

"Support? I have their support, since when?" Boyage sneered. "Cut it out Eldas, you and I are rival warlords, stop trying to sweet-talk me."

"She is already making unreasonable demands. If we can get the AGE System and the Gundam ourselves, we can use that as leverage."

"You're playing with the woman who killed two mobile suit smith husbands to get where she is. The deal's gone sour Eldas just like I told you"—he raised a hand to cut Eldas off—"now you're running scared to me for help. I was the one who sacrificed my men and ships to destroy Ambat, even when it meant working with Elfamel. When I came to ask for help, you sent thugs to kill me."

"That was _Maria's _doing." Eldas stepped closer, his face darkening as he leaned down so no one could possibly hear, "I agree, let's not be coy. You know what Flit Asuno's father found in the Arctic, buried in the ice. We _need _it Boyage. Whoever holds that device holds the entire System hostage. Who cares about some Gundam? It's a child's toy and you know it. You know as well as I do that the secret police don't know about it yet, but they are looking. When they do, they will take what is not theirs and we will _never _rise again. If you are a true soldier of Zalam, you'll help."

Boyage sighed heavily. "So_ that's _why you wanted the Asuno journal. I didn't read it. But I know that if the device had some secret like that, Marina would have never given it to Flit, and Alfred would have destroyed it long before entrusting it to her."

"You're wrong. They never knew, but I know because I am Zalam like you," Eldas retorted coldly, stepping back.

"Give me Alfred's journal so I can see it for myself. Then we'll talk," Boyage snarled.

Eldas smiled faintly and drew out an old leather-bound book from his coat.

* * *

"You wouldn't believe the wild parties some of the students throw when they're given half the chance," Emily said, taking a sip of her strawberry and lemon smoothie as the two of them sat outside a diner awaiting their orders, "One night a kid decided to stop up the drains in his shared sink with another dorm and flooded the place with hot water, then he called half the kids on his floor and went swimming."

"I wonder how he planned to clean that up," Flit said, trying to force down his X-Rounder senses, which were chattering angrily at him. It felt as if someone was watching him.

"The dorm director wanted to know how too. And how to pay for the water damage," Emily said with a shake of her head. "Not that it went on for too long, unlike that one party where they turned out the lights in the game room after curfew—now _that _one got out of hand."

"Eh, sounds a lot like the stuff that went on in Maximus. There's really a _lot _of unused buildings down there beneath the surface."

"Really?" Emily asked. "Aren't those areas used for something?"

"Rumor has it that some secret service has their base in one of the abandoned facilities, in one of the dismantled superlaser installations. But mostly those abandoned facilities are used as uh, a place to get away."

"Wild parties?"

"You could say that," Flit said as the food arrived.

The waitress curtsied politely and stepped away to another table. In her place stood the blonde hair and smooth cheeks of-

"-Adalbrecht!" Flit cried, nearly jumping out of his seat.

"Who?" Emily asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"Am I interrupting something?" Adalbrecht asked, seemingly apologetic, he bowed toward Emily, "I am Flit's first cousin, Adalbrecht Diamler, a Captain in the Federation forces."

"You're a Yellow Shirt," Flit hissed, his eyes aflame. "I aught to tell everyone here what you are!"

"Do that, you'll ruin your date, not to mention be severely punished by the Investigation Bureau."

"I don't care, you're a-

-Flit!" Emily barked, standing up, "what's gotten into you? We're in public," she slammed her hands onto the table. "Show some discretion."

"Aptly said Ms," Adalbrecht bowed thankfully.

"What do you want?" Flit asked, clutching at the AGE device hidden away in his pocket.

"I merely came to informally ask you if you would like to get in on a special mission the Prime Minister's Aide de camp is trying to set up. It promises to deal a heavy blow against the Martians."

Emily sighed and sank into her chair; narrowing her eyes at the two men, then back at her tuna salad sandwich, tongue in cheek. "So much for a normal date."

"I will also be joining the _Diva _for its mission to Fardain, we'll talk there when we have more"—He glanced knowingly in the direction of the parking lot—"privacy." He dipped his head at Flit. "I hope you and I can set aside my past dealings, Flit. Cousins can have such sordid relations if they're not careful. Ms," he said, smiling at Emily before waving and walking off toward the storefronts, whistling a merry tune.

Emily glanced worriedly over her shoulder at Adalbrecht before turning back to her sandwich, her appetite vanished. "Flit, did he say _Fardain_?"

"Yes," Flit said, taking hold of his sandwich, "I meant to tell you, but we're not supposed to divulge that kind of information, so I was going to wait until the day we leave."

"But its _Fardain,_" she insisted, leaning closer. "Do you not watch the news reports? That place is a death trap!"

"I watch the news, and I'm an officer. I know what goes on there more than the reporters do."

"Is it media hype?"

Flit looked down, feeling his own appetite beginning to vanish, but he willed it away and took another bite. "It was worse, but the fighting has died down recently," he mumbled with his mouth full.

"Then I refuse to let you go. We'll get married tomorrow, that way they'll have to give you one week leave time for our honeymoon."

Flit almost choked as he swallowed, "Wh-what?!" He smacked at his chest to get the painful lump to go away. "Ack—Emily do you realize what you just said?"

"Yes. I'll do anything to keep you from going out and killing yourself because you have a vendetta against the Martians."

"Vagans. Who said I'll get killed? You should have more faith in the Gundam for that!"

"No!" Emily snapped, leaping to her feet. "I have classmates who've lost family there. I'm not betting on your skill or the Gundam. You talk about not losing something you love? Well you're about all I have, Flit Asuno. I'm already worried about Grandpa, I refuse to fret whether or not you're going to come back." She scowled in rage as she started off, "Woolf's in town right? This is his fault for putting that idea of warrior's spirit in your head."

"Woolf, wait Emily!" Flit yelled. Ignoring the looks from the other patrons, Flit fished into his pocket, deposited enough credits he was probably sure was enough for _six _meals, and ran after the retreating Emily as she stalked onto the sidewalk.

* * *

"Adalbrecht," Tyle Drace spat the word as the pretty young Diamler strode by his surveillance car and waved as he went by, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "Maria 'said' she was giving us another chance." He worked his jaw and began to breathe heavily as he started up his car and pulled out of the space beside the sidewalk. "That double-crossing hag. She sent her son to do the work for her. Well if it's a fight she wants…"

* * *

"Really? I thought the _Diva _was going to wait until the second Gundam unit was completed," Milias Alloy said on the other end of the chat screen, her face confused, "does that mean I won't be joining you? I'm a little disappointed."

Woolf smiled as he leaned against the wall in front of the monitor, "Don't be, it'll give me a chance to whip the new kids into shape. As it stands, one other member hasn't arrived yet either. You X-Rounders and Ewen are going to tear up the Vagans and leave my new recruits in the dust."

"Sounds like you're worried about babysitting. It's kinda cute to know you worry about your subordinates like you would kids." She smirked at him when she saw she'd hit a sour note.

Woolf scowled at her for a moment, thoughts of Decil Galette running through his mind. "I'll tell you all about how I saved the day once I get back from the mission," Woolf said quickly, keying of the screen before Milias could retort.

"That woman, she's gotten stuck up now that she has the AGE-1." Woolf started for the kitchen, he needed something to take his mind off the direction the conversation had gone. He still hadn't found anything else on Decil Galette, though he already found damning evidence. "That lullaby he scratched on the cell wall. It's her's and no mistake." His wife singing a Vagan lullaby, wearing a Vagan necklace. But that didn't mean Decil was _his _child. But that arrogance, the way he fought, and those eyes, Woolf could not think of a way to dispel the facts as coincidence.

But where did the other one go, and why did she leave without even telling him?

A pounding on the door stopped him just as his hand reached the refrigerator handle. He turned and made for the door, somewhat bemused.

"Hello?" He asked, opening the door. Emily Amonde's determined blue eyes stared back.

"I need to confirm something," she said, clinching her fist.

"Ok," Woolf said, scratching the back of his head, "From your expression, I assume this isn't a happy visit. What's the problem?"

"I'm worried about Flit. He said the _Diva _is headed for Fardain."

"There's really no other front in this war, so yeah," Woolf said, crossing his arms. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes there's a problem. It was you that put any idea of going back to live peacefully out of his head, now he's going to go and get himself killed."  
Woolf sighed and shook his head, "He's doing this for you, Emily. These Vagans can't be too nice if they sided with the Yellows. Go home and chill, before you end up hurting him more for doing what he has to."

"I'd rather him hate me and live than let him go down the path _you _threw out to him. I knew this would happen," Emily looked away, distraught.

"If it helps you any, the mission is only taking us _close_ to Fardain, we're not supposed to even reach its first defensive field. No worries. It's a harmless mission for someone like Flit, right?"

Emily looked down, then back at Woolf suspiciously. "If he doesn't come back, I'll take it out of your hide." With that, the furious girl spun about and stalked down the hall of the apartment complex.

* * *

**Vagan convoy, en route to Fardain, **_**Fa Raza **_**class battleship, **_**Rondo**_

An Grams watched the stars slowly go by on the bridge of his ship, unable to think anymore about tactics or battle strategies. He'd deal with the Federation after inspecting Fardain's defensive measures, which—from the reports—were quite impressive. The door slid open, and he turned his attention to the troupe of teenaged pilots recently awakened from cold sleep.

_Disgusting, they're practically children. _But then, he couldn't really make up his mind whether they were fortunate or unfortunate. Mars made it hard to tell.

"I see you are the new recruits. Good to see you are awake. I expect to be attacked at least once before we reach Fardain. Which of you are part of the X corps?"

Two of the pilots stepped forward, one a tall, lanky boy with an easy smile and posture, like he considered An Grams a new buddy rather than the supreme commander of the military. His long purple hair also gave him an innocent, feminine look. The child certainly was no killer, and couldn't have been more than fourteen. "Your names?"

"Dole Frost," the boy said with a smile.

"_Mink_," the girl said. An Grams looked down at the petite officer, who glared up at him with a fearless stare. She was even younger, perhaps thirteen? Her yellow hair shook as she gritted her teeth and clinched her fists in what she probably thought was a ferocious posture. It looked adorable, if not perhaps a bit disturbing.

"Don't worry about our age, Supreme Commander!" She said, flashing a toothy grin, "I'll tear those damn Earthers apart! We'll crush 'em with our mind powers, we'll tear them out of their suits and shake them like dogs!" She began pumping her fist in the air, "Hail Vagan! Hail Vagan!" She shouted, then looked at him expectantly.

An Grams stared at her for a moment, then raised his hand uncertainly, "Hail Vagan. Now, Mink, is that your _real _name?"

"I just said it was," she replied, arms akimbo.

"I know, but normal people have surnames as well."

"Well I'm not normal and I don't have one."

"Her name is Anelle Drosros," Frost said with a grin.

Mink whirled on Frost with a vehement snarl, "It's _Mink! _Got it?" With that, she whirled around and darted out the door.

Frost shrugged and with a nod from An Grams he followed after the fleeing X-Rounder.

An Grams cleared his throat testily and looked over the two other pilots. "We had the pleasure of meeting before leaving, so I well remember your names, Martha, Zant." He locked gazes with the rose-haired officer, who stood with his arms crossed, looking thoughtful, then at Martha Reed, a blonde girl who stood by at attention, her face determined. "You both have good heads on your shoulders, I'll need you to look after those two X-Rounders."

"Dole Frost is capable," Martha said with a reassuring smile. "And so is Mink," she chuckled, "trust me, she means what she says about ripping into the Terrans, she _hates them_."

"She'll obey orders too, so long as you call her by that nickname," Medel Zant said with a smile. "Don't ask why she calls herself that. She has this thing about capturing one on Earth."

"First let's think about getting to Fardain," An Grams said. "Both of you, get acquainted with your machines before heading into combat. Cold sleep can make you a little slow."

"Already been doing it," Zant said, flexing his fingers. He turned to Martha, "that's the dismissal, let's go."

The two saluted and started off, Martha chatting away as if Zant were just a boyfriend, and not a member of their mobile suit team she may lose at any moment.

"I should keep them out of the action," An Grams muttered. He sat down wearily in his seat. The attack was coming; he could feel as the stars winked past. It would be those young pilots between his ship and the enemy.

* * *

**April 16****th****, Mars Sphere Arndion colony**

Arabel watched the captured Gafrans being loaded onto the waiting cargo ship, a dilapidated old freighter with a brown hull that looked like it was ready to fall apart. He glanced over at Cinnamon Maugh, who was directing a group of workers to quicken their preparations. "Cinnamon, why are we in such a rush to get to Second Moon?" Arabel asked, trying to hide his suspicion. A whirlwind of anxiety pervaded Cinnamon, as if she were expecting something terrible to happen.

"I'm afraid the military will attack us here. We have to establish a resistance cell in the Capital underlevels as soon as possible. Now go make yourself useful. We have lots to pack."

* * *

**April 17****th****, the **_**Diva**_

Flit Asuno drifted idly down the hall leading to the observation gallery. The _Diva's _atmosphere was changed into a cold ship indifferent to who filled its halls, leaving him with a profound feeling of melancholy as memories of Grodek filled his mind. Even worse, he had to do something about Adalbrecht Diamler. His devious cousin had only just now boarded the ship after being detained at Torrian for an unspecified reason. Flit suspected it was to contact Maria.

He halted by his room, the same cabin he used during the Ambat operation. He was getting a roommate, a pilot of Woolf's squadron that missed the briefing. That left Milias as the sole remaining member yet to arrive. To Flit's surprise, the room was already occupied. The new pilot stopped unpacking his sparse belongings and turned, his violet eyes flashed with recognition, and he held out his hands amiably, "Kannas Westmorland," he said, long raven hair swirling about his head.

Flit hesitantly shook the hand, an electric current ran up his arm and into the back of his head. This man was an X-Rounder? "You seem to know me," Flit said.

"I have friends in the R&D division. Flit Asuno is the name of the day there. It's a pleasure to meet the creator of the AGE-1."

"Thank you," Flit said, turning toward his own bed. Now that Kannas was here, his room wasn't going to provide much solitude.

"I noticed HARO units aboard, are they performing as well as you hoped?" Kannas asked.

Flit glanced toward the door. Among the mass-produced maintenance drones, his original Haro was stalking the halls, as the quartermaster's assistant drone no less. As if on cue, the door slid open and Haro entered the room, its chipper, smiling face quite different from the recent models, which had a single mooneye camera. "Are you situated, Officer Kannas?" Haro asked.

"Yes, thank you." Kannas replied.

"Please report to the quartermaster if a problem arises," Haro said. It turned to Flit, "I have just been assigned by Captain Tinel to you, Ensign. I am to act as the Gundam's OS manager."

"I see," Flit said. "please don't reconfigure the system until I am present."

"I will not," Haro said, and Flit almost thought her heard a touch of the sphere's sarcasm. "I will await further orders in the Gundam."

Kannas glanced after Haro with a raised eyebrow. "That one's different from the others."

"He was the original—I created him as a kid as a plaything. It's actually nice to see Captain Adams didn't change his face, I guess it reminded him of better times."

"You were close to the ship's original crew, weren't you?" Kannas asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes."

"That's no surprise. I'm going to begin prepping my own MS. It doesn't get as much attention as your Gundam."

Flit watched Kannas go. Somehow, he had an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. Was it the fear of going into battle? No, it was different than it felt at Ambat. Something dangerous was waiting to strike, and it maddened an X-Rounder to not know which direction it would come.

* * *

**The Moon, Valkyrie subterranean base**

Luli Jasmine stood by the station worker as he feverishly prepared the final adjustments under her merciless gaze. Soon, and the world would be put off-balance. Her actions might bring an end to this war before it ever got off the ground. For her, all that mattered was to make the gears turn and sit back and enjoy the show. "It's finished, Director."

"Good." She took a step toward a monitor, the base commander strode up then, his face sweating with concern. He did too much of that, he needed to enjoy their work more.

"Director—I mean no disrespect—but, you are aware that we don't know what could happen. The software at our disposal isn't capable of handling this. The nature of the Voodoo could inadvertently redirect-

-enough. I am Director and my orders are absolute." She reached for the control, only for the commander to grab her hand.

"Please! We could place the bases here in jeopardy!"

Luli swiped his hand away and backhanded him in the same movement. "Consider that my countermand." She turned back to the system. "Controller, Ready Mapmaker Two."

"Director this is against Silver Chalice regulations!"

"Silence. We are at war."

"Mapmaker Two ready, please input command, Director," the computer's lilting voice said.

"Activate Voodoo Doll system. Code: Mars Birthday."

"Password confirmed. Voodoo Doll system—enabled."

"Engage."

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Flit finished adjusting his pilot's suit and had just attached his helmet to the clamp on the suit's collar when Adalbrecht Diamler entered the locker room. "Ensign Asuno, please hold a moment."

Siarle Trahaearn glanced back as he adjusted his suit and flashed a grin at Flit, "don't get into trouble with the higher-ups too soon Asuno. I'll be sure to take your targets for you." With that he hopped out the door.

"You have been avoiding me, I am a superior officer, I don't suggest you keep that up or I'll order you to the brig where you can't run," Adalbrecht warned.

"Fine, we're alone, now what do you want? If this is about the AGE device then forget it."

Adalbrecht appeared confused, then he shook his head. "I don't care about that thing. I just wanted to inform you that Magistrate Simba Tapiwa and the Prime Minister's personal assistant are organizing a scouting mission to the Mars Sphere. They asked me, and I accepted. Considering your um—feelings for the Vagans—I thought you might want volunteer. We could do a great deal of damage."

Adalbrecht smiled as Flit looked down, brow furrowed in thought.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon, Overlord's Palace**

Zoroaster Zara settled comfortably in the Thought Panner's complicated control seat as the machine slowly closed about him like a flower as the sun goes down. The headset wrapped around his head and hands. Zara watched the instruments come to life in his mind, letting them fill every corner. The first he would use this on would be Yark Dole Briar. That man was impossible to read behind that mask. Now Zara would finally pry it open. "Now we shall truly see if being an obscure priest is all you wanted," spat Zara, smiling cruelly.

* * *

**The **_**Diva, **_**mobile suit hanger**

Woolf Enneacle watched Kannas Westmorland enter his black and purple Genoace. Woolf turned to the brown-skinned woman at his side, "I'm glad there's a few raw recruits in on our team, between you, me, Ewen, and the X-Rounders we'd practically be the best the Federation has to offer. I think they should have evened us out a bit more. They might as well call us the Senior Ace Team."

Nova Omusa narrowed her dark eyes as she watched the black Genoace move toward the elevator, "Yes, we should be. Do you regret having Ewen and me on the team?"

"No," Woolf said, "It just makes me look better when I outperform you." He gave her a mock salute and climbed into his G-Exes.

"He hasn't changed," Nova said to herself as she entered her own Genoace. "Now let's see what these new recruits can do."

* * *

Sitting in Grodek's chair, Captain Adams Tinel watched as the _Diva's _mobile suits flashed off into space. Woolf and Kannas were already out in front and charging toward the twinkling light of the fast incoming Vagan convoy. The beginnings of beam artillery sailed harmlessly by the side of the ship and between the other fleet vessels.

"They're ranging us," Adams said to the helm, "prepare anti-beam charges and load the missile tubes, have them detonate halfway in, maybe we can throw off their visual sensors until we get closer."

"Nova Omusa, in Genoace, Launching," a voice called as a Genoace dashed from the ship's prow, trailing a blue tail of exhaust. "Ewen Winter, in Shaldoll, launching," a man called as the red and white machine dashed from catapult. "Siarle Trahaearn, Genoace, I'm taking over the battlefield!" The last Genoace departed in a brilliant flash, passing Nova and quickly gaining on Kannas' machine.

"Siarle—this isn't a game, conserve your propellant," Nova's voice called in frustration.

"They're talking too much, tell them to cease the chatter," Adams commanded, "And tell Woolf to keep in formation, he's part of a team and he can't go running off to leave them." Adams frowned. "Where is Flit? The Gundam should be out in front."

"I was delayed," Flit's voice snapped over the comm., the boy was agitated. "I'm going out, Flit Asuno in Gundam AGE-1, launching!"

"I hope I didn't delay anything," Adalbrecht Diamler said, entering the bridge to take his seat beside Adams.

"What were you talking with him about?" Adams asked, his curiosity roused.

"I wanted to clear the air with him about an old dispute. Don't worry, I won't cause you anymore delays from now on."

Adams sat back, returning his attention to the battlefield.

* * *

"Do you remember the weapons layout?" Haro's chipper voice asked with a hint of smugness. "Shall I assist in refamiliarization?"

"Quiet, you're personality chip is acting up again," Flit grumbled, keying of the speaker.

"Do not"-Haro's voice disappeared instantly.

Flit turned his attention back to the approaching enemies. Four brilliant beams of light sailed overhead from the _Diva's _main guns, along with a storm of missiles, all converging on an enemy vessel designated as a _So Lin _carrier. Flit didn't care what it's name was, all he needed to know was that it was a target. He flexed his fingers and steadied his breathing. _Don't think, act._

* * *

Woolf sent his G-Exes spiraling away from a storm of firepower, squeezed off a DODS beam that drilled into one of the _So Lin's _beam turrets, blowing it apart. "Even the transports have guns. They're practically cruisers," he complained, yelping as he gunned the throttle, launching the G-Exes into the convoy as a _Fa Raza _decloaked and raked the void with xanthous beam energy.

"Commander Woolf!" Kannas' voice wailed over the comm. as his Genoace dove frantically through a field of fire. "I'm being hemmed in! I can't aim to fire back!"

Woolf sighed and took after the Genoace. "Don't stop moving whatever you do—and use the reticle, aiming is what it's for." He let out an irritated breath, "Rookies."

* * *

Adams watched as the four _Darwin _class battleships to his right broke their battle formation as a _Fa Raza _materialized behind their lines and opened fire. "The _Kisangani _reports damage!" An officer called. Adams looked down to see the _Darwin _positioned beneath the _Diva _trembling under a heavy barrage of beam fire. Ahead, three more _Fa Raza _decloaked and poured fire at the _Diva, _which had been aiming for an apparent weak-spot in the convoy.

"A _Fa Raza _materializing at the rear of the convoy!"

"Nine battleships," Adams cursed and pounded his fist against the armrest, "they tricked us with that surveillance image on purpose!" He sat back as his mind began to tie itself in knots. The enemy commander was obviously not an amateur.

* * *

With a scream from its pilot, the Gafran lunged from the hanger of a _Fa Raza _and dashed at the AGE-1, the cannon on its torso firing away. Flit spun through the blasts and fired a rifle shot, blasting the Gafran apart. Nearby, two more Gafrans, one black and purple, the other black and yellow, turned their attention on Siarle as he wove his Genoace through a wave of machinegun fire.

"Siarle, don't attack two of them by yourself!" Yelled Flit, dashing to assist the reckless pilot. There was a tremor along his spine. "Watch out! They're X-Rounders!"

"Then help me out!" Siarle yelled back, using his beam saber to swipe away the first Gafran's slash. He brought up his beam rifle, firing a salvo into the black and purple machine's shoulder armor, which then sped to the side, trailing flames.

"Mink! Watch out for the horned one!" Dole Frost yelled from within the damaged Gafran as he sent up a wave of beam machinegun fire. The Gundam put its shield between it and the barrage, then fired off a couple shots of its rifle. Frost saw the halo and sent the Gafran spiraling away toward the convoy, narrowly avoiding the shots, "Its beam rifle's different!"

"I _got _one!" Mink screamed in triumph from her yellow and black Gafran, plunging the saber into the Genoace's cockpit. She leapt over the dead machine and dashed with a flash toward another target.

"Siarle!" Flit screamed, watching the lifeless machine drift away. "Damn those demon bats. Well I warned him," he muttered, firing off another shot at the purple Gafran even as he barrelrolled through a storm of firepower coming from a _So Lin. _

"So you're an X too," a voice said in Flit's mind.

"We can't let you Earthers get in our way!" A hyper female voice squealed at the same time. He saw the gnashing of teeth in front of his eyes. "Die!"

Flit turned quickly, blocking saber slash from the black yellow Gafran as it rushed in, then he slashed with the beam bayonet and rocketed backward as the other X-Rounder surged up in his Gafran, firing the tail cannon. Flit pumped a pair of DODs rifle shots at the two, who darted aside, only for the pilots to realize his true aim was the transport's turrets. The _So Lin _bucked under the blasts as it guns disappeared.

"You'll pay!" Mink screamed at Flit, rushing in.

Flit parried the blow with his DODS rifle's bayonets, then dashed past the Gafran, slamming his shield into its tail to send it spinning. He flipped over and then under a pair of beams from the other Gafran, dropped toward it, drew a beam javelin from the underside of the Gundam's shield and impaled the Gafran's knee with the glowing, spiked beam sphere. The leg exploded and sent the Gafran spiraling away, the other Gafran already roaring in. Flit spun around and firing his rifle, nicking the enemy's wingtip and sending the Gafran spiraling towards him, straight at his javelin as Flit drew it back for a killing stab.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon, Fire Temple**

"You never cease to amaze me," Yark Dole Briar said to Yurin L'Ciel as she leaned against the wall of the darkened temple passageway. "What does my work before going to Earth matter so much?"

"You're a man of contradictions," Yurin replied. "I don't understand you, but I'm starting to. I want to know what you think of this place, this whole religion your people contrived. What is it for if you don't help the people here who need it?"

"I once thought as you did," Yark Dole replied with a heavy sigh, he felt a weight pressing on his slumped shoulders as he drew his cowl over his face. "But in my zeal I passed up the opportunity to actually make a difference." He looked over at Yurin, "don't forsake an opportunity like that, Yurin. If you want to help, do it wherever you can, however you can." His eyes suddenly went wide, and both of them as one started for the nearest window, a shrieking wave of danger like Yurin had never felt blazed in her mind and turned the halo red and orange into a ripple of fire.

They reached an opened window. Even during the daylight, the great body of Mars hung with a sickly green mass of clouds. Tendrils of lightning raced along the surface of the storms and lit the atmosphere in a glittering cloud.

"God help us," Yark Dole breathed. "The terraformer…

* * *

Zoroaster Zara felt a wave of terror ripple through him as a buzzing sound tore into his mind as a blazing halo of fire encircled the rim of his vision. He fought madly, pulling himself out of the machine, crawling along the floor as he tried to escape the sense of doom. He activated a wall monitor. His worst fear stared him in the face: the sight of the red planet's surface glowing and sparking as the terraformer thrummed to life.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Fardain**

With a flash, the wildly spinning Gafran righted itself in the last instant, unleashing a torso cannon blast just as the Age-1's javelin slammed into the defuse emitter. A brilliant burst of beam bolts threw the two mobile suits back, the Gafran scarred and pitted, the Gundam safe behind its shield.

"Mink!" Dole Frost swept in, activating his two beam sabers. "Look what you've done you filthy monster!"

"Me? Monster?" Flit asked, blocking the blow with his shield and thrusting with the javelin, "out of the horse's mouth!" He kicked the Gafran back and fired a DODS rifle beam at the enemy, who swept above it and came in with blades crossed for a scissor attack. Flit easily parried the blows with his javelin and bayonet, then sliced off the enemy's saber arm as it came in for another swing. The Gafran backed up, firing beam machinegun fire. Flit pumped three more DODS rifle blasts at the enemy. With a snarl from Frost, the Gafran swung about and caught the floundering yellow Gafran.

Flit placed a new power clip into the rifle, but by then the two had already retreated to the safety of a _Fa Raza _streaking past.

Suddenly he felt a flash of warning from beyond the convoy. A Gafran lunged down from above, but it stopped in mid-swing as both machine's turned their heads past Fardain and beyond. Both machines watched in stunned silence as fissures cracked open the surface of the Moon and dyed it red with liquid fire.


	17. Chapter 17 Warhawk

_**Chapter Seventeen Warhawk**_

* * *

**April 18****th****, AG117-Earth Sphere Colony Solon City, Techno Solon Head Office**

The esteemed Magistrate Simba Tapiwa inclined his head at a smartly dressed Techno Solon employee as he approached and extended his hand in greeting, "Magistrate, it is an honor," the man said warmly. "Allow me to express my humblest apologies that Ms. Diamler was unable to meet with you this time. A prearranged engagement required her full attention. My name is Sander Blunt, I will conduct negotiations on her behalf."

"All the same, so long as I can work the details of my plan without delay. The Federation's survival depends upon a strong military force."

"Then without further delay," Sandor said with a nod as the two began to walk. The man stopped and peered suspiciously around Simba's shoulder at the magistrate's three companions. A look of distaste crossed his face. "I don't mean to question your entourage, but I must insist to know why _Mukured Madorna _is here in our facility."

Madorna raised his finger to say something, but the man beside him grabbed the arm to restrain him. "Now's not the time," Amadis Largo said into Madorna's ear. Madorna let go and crossed is arms indignantly.

"The Madorna Workshop is part of my plans," Simba said, stepping in front of Madorna, blocking Sander's view of him just in case the MS smith decided to make a gesture. "I will be blunt, Mr. Blunt, your Genoace model is inadequate against the superior Gafran of the Vagan military. We have lost over half our entire mobile suit force since the beginning of the Fardain siege. That means lost lives and lost resources. I want us therefore, to orchestrate a deal that will benefit the Earth Sphere immeasurably in the war effort. Combine your respective strengths, Techno Solon will bill the resources, Madorna its mobile suit plans. Together we can construct a line of machines more suitable to combat," Simba said proudly, hoping his patriotism would rub into the representative.

Sanders was blunt and to the point, "that is simply impossible and out of the question." A knowing smile came to Sander's face that Simba did not like. "If you will follow, I think I can show you something, Magistrate; the very thing you are searching for. It is our latest model, a new prototype unit capable of out-performing even Flit Asuno's AGE-1." He gestured with a hand toward a right-hand passage in the corridor. Simba nodded and followed.

The third member of the party, Ivon Alfenoa, smiled and started after the two ahead of Madorna and Amadis. "A Techno Solon suit capable of surpassing the AGE-1? This should be interesting."

* * *

**Colony Fardain, just outside defensive zone**

"What the hell is that?" Medel Zant asked in shock. The Moon floated ominously in the distance, the rivers of fire across its surface now pooled into saffron lakes of fire, like festering yellow sores on the Moon's skin.

The blazing halo in Flit's mind locked his eyes on the terrifying visage. What did this mean? He scanned the convoy, noting that the battle had ceased entirely. This was no weapon of the Vagans.

"It's not a trick of the Federation," Zant said to himself as he drew back from the AGE-1, beam sabers igniting. "Martha!"

"Here," Martha Reed called, dropping down beside him in her own Gafran, painted in its combination of turquoise and green colors. It's visor line lit up with a yellow flash. "Let's double team him."

"Took the words out of my mouth!" Zant cried as the two machines dashed apart as one, firing their tail cannons at the drifting Gundam.

"Enemies!" Flit spiraled through the blasts, hurled his beam javelin, striking the green Gafran's right leg. The machine arced back, slicing the javelin in two and yanking it out as the beam energy depleted.

Flit blocked a saber hack from Zant's Gafran and pointed his rifle at the Gafran's head, firing off a shot. Zant ducked his machine beneath the blow, narrowly escaping disaster. Sparking where its antenna had been moments before, the Gafran angled up at Flit and fired a burst of machinegun fire. Flit rocketed away with a burst of exhaust from the Gundam's feet, pulling up his shield just in time to avoid a beam blast from the other Gafran's tail cannon.

The two machines transformed together into their dragon modes and soared in, firing their beam weapons in a storm of firepower. Flit desperately wove and corkscrewed through the blasts, firing screwing beam blasts at the Gafrans, which wove out of the way nimbly.

"You're the machine that saw Ambat destroyed," Zant muttered angrily into the comm. "I bet I'll get a promotion if I take you down."

"That's all you care about?" Martha asked, kicking Zant's suit away from a DODS blast. "Watch it and keep your moves synced with mine!"

Flit rushed in, activated his bayonets and slashed viciously at the Gafrans. Both dashed apart, and Flit swung up his DODS rifle and fired a shot straight into the turquoise machine's left wing. Martha screamed as the blast swung her machine around and tore pieces of its armor from its body. Then Zant hurtled down, driving Flit and the Gundam back with a mad series of saber blows. "We'll finish this later," he spat, staring at Flit Asuno's determined face across the screen as his Gafran grabbed Martha's damaged unit and retreated.

"I'm not in the habit of letting enemies escape," Flit warned, keying off the transmission as he darted after the two mobile suits, DODS rifle aimed for a killing shot. Then a strange sensation flew into his consciousness. The halo glowed, and he looked up to find a green grey mobile armor dashing in, from the Vagan's defensive lines, which were forming up to attack. Glowing panels on its diamond-shaped wing binders retracted and launched a pair of missiles. The warheads streaked in, dodging furious blasts of firepower from a dueling _Fa Raza _and _Darwin. _

Flit watched uneasily as the missiles easily streaked in with nimble, precise movements. Then they were flashing past Zant and Martha's machines. Flit fired his DODS rifle, only to watch in horror as the two missiles spun around the drilling beam and sailed at him. He rocketed back in a flash, switching his rifle to rapid fire mode and pummeling the space in front of him with fire. He tried to direct them into colliding with each other, but when they did they merely clanged together and ricocheted apart to continue the chase. "No AI's this—The enemy's controlling them!" He fired all the more desperately, angling further toward the _Diva. _One of his shots hit a missile and blew it apart in a fantastic burst, but the second continued streaking in. Flit flung his shied at the last second—the missile angled around it and dashed in. Flit blew it apart with a DODS beam, sending a wall of blinding light into his cockpit. When he exited the explosion, he looked to find the Gundam charred and pitted. Angling his damaged steed up toward the waiting ship, he dashed on, glancing back worriedly as the mobile armor transformed into its mobile suit mode and began escorting the two Gafrans away.

"White Team, return to the _Diva _at once, the convoy has reached the outskirts of Fardain's defensive zone, we are retreating at once."

"We're just going to let them go?!" Woolf asked in disbelief over the comm.

"That's an order, Woolf," Adams replied evenly.

Flit sympathized with Woolf's disgusted tsk as he watched the enemy forces safely escape behind their fortifications. It had all gone so wrong. Watching the horrifying display of the burning Moon, he angled the Gundam up toward the _Diva's _catapult deck, his mouth bitter with the taste of defeat.

* * *

**Colony Solon City**

Ivon Alfenoa looked up with a keen eye at the imposing form of the Sylph as it rested tall and threatening in the grip of its hangar brace.

"That's quite the machine," Madorna muttered beside him, fist clenching his arm as if it were Sander Blunt's neck. "It resembles the Gundam and G-Exes a bit more than I like."

"We possess data on both," Sanders said proudly.

"So you admit it," Madorna said, visibly resisting the urge to spit.

"Is that a problem?" Sanders asked, apparently oblivious to how the data had been obtained. "Well, regardless, this machine is our first high-performance unit, but we have others," he pointed toward a long row of unpainted Genoace. "These are the Genoace Custom units, now coded as Genoace II models. They are superior to the Custom, with better handling, OS, and superior rifles. They are vastly superior to the original RGE."

"Currently deployed at Fardain by our forces," Simba Tapiwa reminded grimly. "How soon can these be made ready for battle?"

"We will have to arrange a price and payment plan," Sanders said with a smile. "Also, the Sylph, consider it a gift. I was instructed to place it in your custody."

"I'll enjoy trying it out," Ivon said with a smile as he stepped forward, ignoring Simba's stern glower. Ivon glanced up at the giant and smiled amiably. "You don't mind if I take it? Good."

"If you gentlemen will step this way," Sanders said with a smile, gesturing toward a hallway. "We can begin discussions."

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

Slowly, the twin claws facing either side of Second Moon closed together, locking the red sphere inside like an egg in its shell. Inside however, the tension and panic spread unhindered.

"Technician, give me a report on all colonies!" Demanded Zoroaster Zara as he rushed into the moon's forward command center. "Have they taken precautionary measures in the orbital factories?"

"All means of communication are completely useless," a female operator said excitedly. "We lost contact with the close-orbit factories before the radiation storms began."

"Can I have a visual?" Zara asked, sweat beading on his brow.

"Negative, all visual sensors are completely disrupted or destroyed."

"Zoroaster! I'm picking up significant fluctuations in Second Moon's center of mass. Detecting stress in shell two!"

"Magnetic readings at 210% and _climbing_!" The female technician cried.

* * *

**Earth Sphere the Moon, Valkyrie subterranean base**

Her ears under assault from the sound of screaming sirens from every single computer terminal, Luli Jasmine covered her throbbing ears and staggered to an operator's chair, "GIVE ME A STATUS REPORT!" She yelled over the tumult. "AND GET THESE ALARMS QUIET!" She gripped the chair as the shaking installation began to tip and rock violently, like a child madly shaking a dollhouse.

"Director," the operator said, tears starting to appear in the man's eyes as his desperation grew and the panic in the room reached fever pitch as the warning clackson began its unmistakable blaring, alerting the fortress that it was under assault.

"Director, molten rock is seeping through the crater hatch! It's melting!" An unearthly blast rang in everyone's ears, this one an explosive rumble.

Luli didn't hear the man, but she did see the streams of blood red lava pouring down along the sides of the base on a monitor. Another image flickered beside that one, this a camera feed near Ultimus Maximus. The camera was bouncing and shaking up and down in the air, and so fuzzy the image was nearly colorless, but Luli got a good enough look to see the crater fortress disappear in a violent plume of glowing red and yellow light. The camera image dissolved into a blank grey screen. Another feed popped up, and another, and a third after that, showing the abandoned base tunnels flooding. The feeds winked out one after another as walls of molten rock rushed to fill the images.

Luli turned to give an order, but the shaking rose to a fever pitch in accord with the roaring explosion. The ceiling split open and crashed down as the floor gave way in crescendo of sparks and wailing alarms.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon, command center**

"I'm here," Yark Dole Briar said as he dashed into the control room, his eyes nearly bulging out of his mask. "What's the status?"

"We're not sure," Zara replied breathlessly, straining to remain standing as the fear pummeled his brain. "I can't sense anything—can you?"

"No, just a fiery halo," Yark replied, obviously in pain as well. "I can't make anything out, but it must be _everywhere._"

* * *

Yurin L'Ciel huddled in a corner of her bedchamber, the fiery halo driving her mind to relive it all over again. The sheer terror as she realized the Farsia would not respond to her commands; the burning pain as the heat melted her flight suit to her skin. The searing heat.

"What's going on?" She breathed, frantically trying to batter the images away. With a final burst of effort, she flung her powers outward. The memories ceased, replaced with a brief image of the moon colony covered in a wave of electromagnetic pulses.

She steadied herself as best she could even as the temple began to shudder. She felt a tremor, as if a massive hand had grabbed the colony and was beginning to pull.

* * *

"Zoroaster! The colony is falling to Mars!" An operator screamed, his face ashen.

Zara felt black spots appear in his vision as he and Yark Dole exchanged looks of despair.

* * *

Outside, the silver-shelled Second Moon slowly turned, drawn inexorably toward the crackling stormclouds of the Martian sky.

* * *

**Earth Sphere Fardain, The **_**Diva**_

Flit Asuno watched as the AGE Builder open to allow the Gundam inside for repairs and refitting. He crossed his arms as his brain raced for explanations. Adams had yet to make an announcement about the Moon's current state of affairs, so he probably didn't know anything substantial. Perhaps Adalbrecht harbored some clues. His eyes fell on the vacant mobile suit brace where Siarle's machine once rested. He turned away. Strangely, the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach felt like it came from the knowledge that he _didn't _care about Siarle's fate. It was supposed to be the opposite. He willed the nausea away and set his eyes on the control room to see if the AGE System had created something capable of countering the X-Rounder controlled missiles. He shuddered and drew his arms tighter about him. There had been a supremely disturbing feeling coming from that machine, although the intense danger emanating from the Moon blanketed it during the actual battle. "What more twisted things could they possibly have up their sleeves?"

* * *

Nova Omusa yanked off her helmet and flung condensation off her black hair, glancing at Woolf and Ewen Winter as they sipped on some energy drinks to quench their thirst. Flit Asuno stepped by, heading toward the AGE System's control room, he paid no attention to any of his teammates.

Nova sighed. "I see another casualty in the making," she noted, before turning back to Woolf and Ewen. "Woolf, don't you think you should talk to Asuno? He looks stressed."

"The Moon's on fire, Nova. Of course he's worried," Ewen said with a slight frown. "That or the other rookie was a buddy of his."

"Speaking of rookie, where's that Kannas boy?" Woolf asked, looking to find the black Genoace had safely returned.

"I hadn't seen him," Nova replied, blinking. She frowned. It appeared the new rookies were hard to keep up with on the ship as well as in battle. She turned and started for her own machine to make sure it was functional for the next engagement. _If those kids want to stay alive I had better be ready, Woolf isn't the type to bother with pilots who can't carry their own weight._

* * *

Flit stepped into the control room to find it occupied by Kannas, who was speaking into the comm. The black haired pilot glanced up in surprise and keyed off the transmission before sailing for the doorway. "It's a shame about Siarle, isn't it?" Kannas said with a frown. "I just contacted the bridge to confirm his death...I'll leave you alone." With that, he sailed into the corridor and the door closed. Flit scowled after him in slight bemusement. "I didn't ask for an explanation," he thought aloud.

* * *

"What in the world is going on?" Adams asked, echoing similar statements coming from his bridge officers. Ignoring the Vagan convoy sailing into Fardain's harbor, Adams stared at the riveting, glowing surface of the planet's satellite. "Get me readings on that. And get me in contact with Admiral Kindle."

Adalbrecht sat silently beside Adams, holding his chin thoughtfully between his thumb and forefinger, eyes roving over the now alien surface of the Moon. No matter how one looked at it, it was clear this turn of events forewarned worse trials to come.

* * *

** spaceport, **_**Fa Raza **_**class battleship, **_**Rondo**_

Medel Zant and Martha Reed stopped on the catwalk in front of the Veinidorr as its cockpit opened and the pilot drifted out. "Thanks for the save," Zant said with a smile.

"You're both a couple of kids, try and stay out of the way so you don't end up dead," the bald, disgruntled pilot replied as he floated over the railing.

"Just who do you think you are?" Martha snapped, spinning around after him.

"Angelo Enreze," the man called back.

"Well whatever," sniffed Martha. "Come," she said, grabbing Zant's arm and pulling him toward their own machines. "We don't need the likes of him. We need to get a hold of those X-Rounders and see about making a cohesive strategy. We didn't even stay together this time around."

"It was our first real battle, try to lighten up," protested Zant, who grudgingly allowed himself to be pulled along anyway. "Next time we'll do better."

"We have to," Martha retorted acidly, "or the other pilots are going to treat us like children forever."

* * *

**Madorna's Workshop**

Largan Drace watched the factory workers assembling his new machine, refitting it to the specifications Mhatt Oliver had demanded. Largan glanced over to find his benefactor, Nike Kingsland, who stood by watching his own Jackedge as its arm was attached with a loud clank.

"They look excellent," Largan said to Nike, who appeared slightly nervous. "Mhatt knows how to design some fearsome machines."

"Yeah," Nike said, then he scowled and started off, leaving Largan to wonder why Nike was so evasive in talking with him, despite the fact that the black haired man had been the one to fund Largan's new MS.

Nike meandered silently through the noisy factory, eyeing every person he encountered. She was coming, he could feel it. And when she did, it was going to cause some problems for the crew and Angrazzo knew it, even if Ract didn't get it yet.

He finally found Angrazzo Lambro sitting comfortably on a bench, going over something on his PDA. Angrazzo looked up and scowled as Nike stalked over and crossed his arms.

"We've been here for a week. You know she's going to pop up."

Angrazzo sighed and closed down his PDA. "You know, I wish you would come clean and tell me exactly why this girl's so hung up on you. You had to have done something pretty nasty, even by our standards."

"It's more complicated than that," Nike retorted. "I only went out with her on two occasions, and after that she never stopped stalking me."

"We've been over this, Nike, and I don't like it." Angrazzo stood up, brow furrowed. "We know she sounds more like a government agent than anything. Especially what with your brother and all."

"What could I possibly have to offer the secret police?"

Angrazzo glowered at Nike thoughtfully. "My question exactly. Chances are Ract is the reason. That guy's got plans to become a bigshot revolutionary. Even so, that still doesn't make complete sense."

Nike looked down. "You just have to trust me, Ang."

* * *

"Considering what we're looking at, I'm surprised you haven't spouted off a theory," Ract Elfamel said with a frown as he gazed out the Workshop's main viewport, staring at the ghastly image of the Moon and its yellow speckled skin where the lava pooled in the craters.

"This is not a natural phenomenon," Grodek Ainoa said with a frown. His eyes searched the depths of space, noticing the telltale signs of vapor rising off the surface of the Moon like mist from the ground. "If I had to hazard a guess, I would say this is the work of a terraformer." He looked down, mind racing. "Let us hope I am wrong., though I can't explain how the Moon has aquired an atmosphere without taking one into account."

"What do you suppose we do?"

Grodek looked over at Ract and suppressed a chuckle. "What's this, tired of hunting the phantom armor?"

"Well, we haven't found it yet, and you seem to be having trouble decoding those old data obelisks I've been collecting, so we don't even know if the rumored treasure is worth anything."

"Angrazzo doesn't know your intentions to find this 'treasure', so what do you think it is?" Grodek asked.

"Sly, Ainoa. You know just as well as I do that only fools throw away high technology. It's still out there, guarded and hidden."

Grodek seemed to be considering something. "I am glad we came here to Madorna's Workshop. Mukured Madorna left some time ago to conduct business in Solon City. Judging by the extraordinary circumstances needed to push him into such a move, and Lalaparly's seeming slackness with increasing production rates—coupled with that Federation ship that was seen passing by the field—I think we can conclude Simba Tapiwa is preparing the Federation for a counterstrike against the Vagan."

Ract looked confused. "How do you figure Tapiwa? It could just as well be Fondor or one of the other magistrates."

"No, only Simba Tapiwa would have the nerve. And on the topic of lunar paculiarities, there are unidentified signals going to and from the Moon."

"I fail to see the significance of that. The Federation has its secret police based on the Moon, it should be no surprise to find strange signals coming and going from that area."

"I have been monitoring these for a long time, ever since Angel fell. I noticed them in numerous places during the time of the UE. If not for my obsessive monitoring of them, I might never have come to learn the truth about Cleansing. During Ambat, I noticed similar transmissions coming from the phantom mobile armor—the signals are old Federation apparently—and I also noticed them transmitting at Minsry during our stay there. All this has for some time led me to believe that there is an independent factor in our world moving underneath the surface of the government, manipulating events."

"Forgive me for playing the part of Watson, but what does that have to do with this supposed terraformer on the Moon?"

Grodek turned to Ract with a stern gaze, "Ract Elfamel, I think it is time we paid a visit to a spider in its web."

* * *

**Fardain spaceport, the **_**Rondo**_

"Second Moon has _What_!?" Mink stepped back, her eyes wide in horror.

Dole Frost and Martha Reed likewise stared in openmouthed silence, Martha covered her mouth.

"It's what the transmission said," Angelo Enreze said with a scowl.

"Hold it kids," Ensign Telemari Agori said quickly, "we don't know anything other than a brief transmission." The pale, brown haired woman shot Angelo a warning glower.

"A _distress signal_!" Mink shot back fiercely.

"It must be that crazy moon," Zant said as he walked up. "It's too much of a coincidence."

"Probably," Angelo said with a shrug. "What does it matter?"

"The Terrans did this on purpose!" Mink yelled, turning around toward the mobile suits. Martha shot forward, grabbing the girl by the back of her pilot suit's collar. Mink wriggled out of Martha's grasp and spun about with gritted teeth, "Back off! We should be counterattacking! Let's show them they can't get away with this!"

To everyone's surprise, Angelo stepped forward and grabbed Mink as she made a second dash for her Gafran. "No. You're staying here until you're ordered to go out. Sortieing alone is suicide."

"Staying at Mars is suicide!" Mink shrieked back.

Frost stepped forward and separated the two before Mink could sink her teeth into Angelo's arm. The massive pilot glanced at the two teenagers for a moment, then turned about quickly and started off with a determined stride.

"She's got a point," Zant said to Martha at his side. "Sitting here after what they did isn't helping anything. Eventually the enemy is going to figure our tech out and pump out new units like that horned one."

"Enough of strategizing," Martha said with a heavy sigh.

"Well it's true isn't it!?" Mink yelled as she stomped up. "I'm trying to fight, what are the rest of you people doing? That fat An Grams is-

-I won't have you children talking to our supreme commander in such a tone," Telemari snapped. "All of you return to your quarters and cool down." Her expression softened and she sighed. "I'll talk to Angelo."

"I bet you will," Mink grumbled. "And by the time you does everybody'll be dead."

"Mink," Martha said harshly, "be a little more mature, Telemari is trying to get us to stop overreacting."

"Well overreacting is better than not acting _at all!_" Mink screamed. With that the turned about and stomped off in a huff.

Frost rolled his eyes and followed after her before Telemari could yell again.

* * *

"You really shouldn't treat them that way," Telemari said as she caught up with Angelo. The man didn't slow his pace and continued as if he hadn't heard. "Try to be a little less abrasive."

"I didn't leave those kids behind just so they could follow me here to the warfront," Angelo said through his teeth.

"Angelo, this isn't like you at all," Telemari said with a concerned frown. "You used to care a lot about the junior pilots."

"Not now that they're fielding longhaired pretty boys and rodents."

"Then why did you put a word in for the Galette boy? The caretakers never would have let a powerful pilot like him go into cold sleep had you not put in a word to the physician about it. So, how come?"

"How come what?"

"You're not even listening? Angelo what's gotten into you?" Telemari stopped as Angelo continued down the hall like a man possessed.

_What's gotten into me? _Angelo thought as he stalked deeper into the hanger, where his Veinidorr rested menacingly in mobile armor form. He flexed his hands, feeling the metallic cold beneath his gloves. _That's a good question._

* * *

"Alright, fess up." Mink halted in her tracks as Dole Frost rounded her and blocked her path with his outstretched hands. "That was explosive, even for you."

"I'm upset about the _colonies._" Mink replied testily.

"Not good enough, Mink. Every one is upset about that, you have no right to rant and go off on attack runs without permission."

"Well that fat doofus hasn't been giving any orders to attack!" Mink complained, leaning forward angrily.

Frost threw up his hands helplessly, "He can't help his lunch breaks are short."

"Well if I had my way with An Grams, he'd _be _lunch." Mink turned away and started off again.

"You said you don't have family back in the homeland, so why are you being so selfish?" Demanded Frost. "We went through the X-Rounder program together and I've never seen you like this."

"Maybe you don't know how I feel."

"Apparently—that's why I came here to talk! And you're being an idiot if you think you have good reasons," he jabbed a finger. "You're just a retarded lunatic who wants to become a _weasel. _Some of us have actual people we're fighting for, but all you care about is yourself and your pet fetish!" He spun away and disappeared down the hall.

Mink sank to the floor, covering her head with her hands.

* * *

**Ashrite R&D station, near Dessis colony cluster**

"I cannot believe this," Vargas Dyson said, staring down a tall, slender woman with long brown hair and piercing blue green eyes. "The AGE-1 and all its components are the property of Flit Asuno. You do not even have the right to be here without security clearance!" He swept his hand.

Maria Asuno Diamler smiled and shook her head sadly. "This is a terrible misunderstanding, Director Dyson. As you can plainly see, we have in our possession the plans for the AGE-1. It is _our _technology, not Flit Asuno's—who, I might add—is my nephew and technically my legal charge." She gestured at the blueprints a pair of her assistants had laid out on a table.

"You gave up on him because you thought the AGE device was trash and he a useless orphan," Vargas snapped back. "Don't you dare attempt to use that card this late in the game, Maria."

"The AGE device is a family heirloom. As the wife of the late Kendre Asuno, it is my property," she rested her weight on one leg, "If you give me the device, I will withdraw my claim on the Gundam plans."

Vargas felt his blood pressure spike dangerously. "I see your game. Well I am pleased to inform 'Your Highness' that this was a wasted trip. The AGE device isn't here. The System we are using will be inoperable until it is linked with the device itself."

Maria's congenial countenance fell to one of disappointment. "I am sorry to hear that. I wanted to keep Flit out of this because of how painful it would be. Circumstances drive me to unpleasant lengths," she turned about and gestured for her lackeys to follow. "I will not be undone by this simple meeting, Director Vargas. I will be taking formal legal action against Federation R&D," she said with a sad smile on her face, as if the entire thing pained her immensely. "Won't you reconsider working this out quietly and easily?"

"Absolutely not," Milias Alloy marched up, a scowl on her face.

"Milias, please, don't say anything rash," Vargas hissed at her as she came to stand next to him. "Maria is dangerous."

"Milias Alloy," Maria said, as if she knew Milias well, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"I see I have a reputation now," Milias said. "Aside that, I want to know why you suddenly became interested in the AGE device now. For years you could have approached Flit at Nora and taken him into your care, but you did not. Do you really not care about your own sister's son? Flit has placed all his hopes in the AGE device and his creation, and yet I believe that means nothing to you."

"Your accusations are sincere, but misguided," Maria replied. "Hendrick Bruzar stopped me from becoming Flit's guardian. I selfishly waited until Bruzar had used his legal ties to steal Flit away, and by the time I came out of my grief over the death of my sister and husband, who died just before Angel fell, it was too late. Bruzar had plans for the AGE device I think and didn't want to lose such a valuable resource. It succeeded I assume, in the destruction of Ambat, and now I have come to reclaim the device and my nephew."

"You are very well informed," Milias said coldly.

"Indeed, it pays to be the president of Techno Solon. Director Vargas, I am making a long-standing contract with the military to supply mobile suits. My engineers will be working closely with the R&D I'm sure. Let us put this behind us and improve our relations."

Vargas didn't reply as Maria nodded her head wordlessly and departed, her long satin skirt flowing behind her.

* * *

**Solon colony cluster, Federation cruiser **_**Resplendent **_

"Good God it looks like the Apocalypse," Simba Tapiwa said as he gazed at an image taken of the Moon's cracked and glowing surface.

"What in the world caused this?" Amadis Largo asked, eyes unable to look away from the screen. "No human could do such a thing."

"Oh this is hardly God's work," Simba said dourly, "but the work of a witch. I should have known Magistrate Jasmine had something wicked planned."

"What does Luli Jasmine have to do with this?" Amadis asked in surprise.

"She was apparently hiding more than even Cedrick thought, though this recent catastrophe has probably remedied that problem." Simba coughed. "We are going to Valkyrie base. She has been left to her own devices long enough. Were it not for her, I might have learned about Cleansing and Vagan sooner and put a stop to this."

"I'm ashamed to say that even to the end I tried to reason with Fondor to take complete control. But it appears he wasn't up for the task," Amadis said. "You truly are the rightful leader of the Federation, Magistrate."

"Thank me later once we have Jasmine under control, if she isn't dead. I fear the Moon is lost. The Vagan will take this chance to gain lunar strongholds, so we must act quickly. When we arrive at Valkyrie, I will go in alone. You will wait for me and are not to disembark the ship under any circumstances."

"And if you don't return," Amadis asked.

Simba Tapiwa laughed softly. "Then my boy, you will have to make that decision for yourself."

* * *

**April 21****st****, AG117-Mars Sphere Second Moon**

Yurin L'Ciel waded carefully through the crowds of survivors, all huddled together in the center of an underground thoroughfare. The first aid disappeared from her hands in seconds if felt, and she was once again journeying back to a supply train to get more. The priests were about helping whoever they could, but even Yurin knew well that they simply could not reach them all. She looked up at the blackened ceiling, where an equally dark sky hung over Second Moon's surface. They hadn't crashed into Mars, but there had been no official word on the damage sustained, and in that silence Yurin began to feel a growing dread. Ignoring the sensation, she put on as hopeful a face as she could manage. The people didn't need to see a temple girl worrying.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Colony Torrian**

Emily Amonde sat back wearily into a seat in the cafeteria, putting her notes down on the table. The terrors of higher math exams, her experiences with the _Diva's _crew had not prepared her for this particular evil. She shuddered as she took out her test and looked over the problems she had missed. Or rather, the problems she had _not _missed. Apparently pre trig wasn't her forte. She covered her hands with her head and groaned. This was where _Flit _was supposed to come in and help. He mastered this level of algebraci equations years ago.

She felt her PDA buzz in her pocket and took it out. A muted news anchor flashed to life on the screen, with Fardain in the background. She turned up the volume, ignoring the warning glares from the teachers in the room.

"Although the military refuses to make a statement, our reporting staff took a video that shows the colony in motion. Experts suggest it is heading for the Moon, to take advantage of the mysterious situation there. Speaking of, the Federation refuses to make a clear statement on the cause of this phenomenon."

Emily turned off the PDA as the anchor moved on to repeat the information in a new way and pocketed the device. Others had heard what the news report said and were now talking in earnest.

Taking up her work again, Emily tried to study, but found it impossible to focus anymore.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

Yark Dole Briar could feel its presence again, lingering like a hound at the base of a tree where it chased its prey. "The terraformer attracted Angra Zenon. We won't be moving colonies from Mars anytime soon, to Earth or the asteroid belt."

"It would have been useless to try for the belt regardless," Zoroaster Zara replied, standing in the auxiliary control room's command chair, a commander's interface mask on his face, the eyeholes flashing as they showed him all the data streaming in from the scouting parties. With a sigh, he ripped the mask off and held it between his hands, "all power is down. Electrical systems are shorting out and dangerous. We'll have to replace everything in the shells if we plan to operate them again."

"I sense a creeping fear too," Yark said with a sudden intake of breath, "There's more in the shells than just damage from a magnetic radiation storm."

"It is probable new bacteria have resulted from the mutagenic rays. I'm not sure what to do other than seal off the shells, but that alone won't stop the bacteria from spreading eventually, and there's the radiation covering them too, we have no choice but to clean it off, and that will subject the crews to exposure. They will not be able to return to Second Moon."

"It will be hard finding volunteers initially," Yark Dole said in disgust. "Perhaps we should use mechanoids."

"The magnetic and radiation interference is wildly jumping around the charts, it is impossible to rely on machinery for the time being." Zara put on the mask again, "We also are getting reports of rapid unrest in the underlevels. Even though we were on the brink of removing disease, I fear now that most of our population is beneath ground, it's going to spread."

"Then we should concentrate on the internal threat before"-

-Zara raised a hand for silence, and Yark felt a pulse of fear from the man. "We just received word from a scout from outside. Thanks to our superior engines, we were able to avoid a collision with the planet—but the colonies"—He pressed a monitor, bringing up a static-filled image—"did not."

Yark Dole stared at the dust clouds on the surface of the planet, visible even through the crackling haze of the terraformer's mutagenic storm. "How many?"

"We do not know, although a thread of hope is that the colonies might have managed to achieve an emergency landing, if the landing systems worked under the barrage."

"We must search for survivors immediately," Yark said, stepping over to Zara, "there is still time to help them."

"I cannot ask for more volunteers Yark there _aren't any,_" Zara snapped angrily, throwing off the controller mask. "What would _you _do? Wake Ezelcant? He'd die from the despair."

"I know he can't fix all our problems, but _we_ can make a start," Yark Dole replied, making for the door.

* * *

**arth Sphere Fardain, The **_**Diva**_

With a sudden burst of light from their engines, the Federation fleet began to maneuver into a different configuration, the _Diva _at the center, waiting orders.

"Yours is the most advanced vessel in our arsenal," Admiral William Kindle said from the overhanging monitor on the bridge. "I hope you understand the responsibility then, of your ship Captain."

"Yes Sir," Captain Adams Tinel replied gravely. "We await further instructions."

"As you saw from the diagram, the enemy has been slowly pushing its field of defense further out over the past two days. We believe they are trying to inch their way toward the Moon. All our attempts to communicate with our bases there have been returned by silence. We assume whatever happened there destroyed them all. The Vagan commander knows this and is hoping to create a base there." The image of Kindle's dour face flickered out, replaced by a picture of the front of the colony, where sparks from torches could be seen. "They are building something on the rim here, probably a drilling device to bore the colony into a crater. If they accomplish such a feat their defenses—with our current weaponry—will be utterly impregnable. Our objective is to pierce through their defensive lines and destroy these apparatuses before the enemy makes use of them. I hope you are prepared for a difficult battle."

"We will be standing by," Adams said, glancing out apprehensively at the Vagan defenses. The enemy knew well what the Federation objective was.

"They won't go down without a fight," Captain Adalbrecht Diamler said beside Adams as the transmission from Kindle ended. "They're already arranging their defenses—look."

Ahead, a number of weapons installations appeared from the spaceport. A large weapons platform that vaguely resembled a _Fa Bose_, with three diamond-shaped binders attached to a central core studded with three beam cannons floated in the center of the formation. With a flash of light, it came to rest at the rim of the defensive line, guns pointed straight at the _Diva. _The binders snapped open, energy crackling between the jagged edges. With a crackle the saffron beams lit the darkness, and the Vagan forces spread out on the attack.

* * *

**Madorna's Workshop, near Uzalt debris cluster**

"They're leaving port, looks like Ract is heading out with them," Lumia Tarragon said as she hid behind a container unit, her sunglasses operating as a full sensory suite, complete with what passed as x-ray vision, though it operated on differing principles, and even a heat sensor. "The bearded man is Grodek Ainoa, I'm positive of it."

"You must be absolutely certain," Luli Jasmine said on the other end, sounding quite morose. "I cannot believe that man is with the Bisidian without proper evidence."

"His body matches the description as does his voice and eye color. Another man is with him—Largan Drace."

"A useless tidbit of information," Luli said testily. "What of Raven 1? Is he still there?"

"Nike Kingsland is still with them. He had a conversation with Angrazzo. The captain is growing suspicious."

"That is why I ordered you to eliminate the pirate crew and all associated with Raven 1. With the damage Valkyrie sustained, the X-gene lab is shut down for good. He is a prime specimen that must be recaptured."

"Understood. However, It appears they may be returning him to us on their own," Lumia said with a smile. She brushed her short, brunet hair as she slunk behind another container crate like a cat stalking a mouse. "That loudmouth Yianna was saying something about heading to the Moon as their next destination, presumably to loot what remains of the Federation bases."

"There is not much left to steal," Luli said darkly, letting out a breath. "The terraformer did a greater deal of damage than I ever imagined, an error I am responsible for, but not a total loss. For one, my enemies will most likely not suspect my survival, particularly Fondor and Mer-Mes." She suddenly grew silent in mid-sentence. She took in her breath sharply and spoke again with laughter in her voice, "wait—did you say Ract is joining them?"

"I believe so."

"Perfect! He would never stoop to taking part in a pilfering venture with his pet corsairs. He must have a clandestine motive," Luli did laugh then, a cold, harsh sound of glee. "Track them but do not engage until I say otherwise. I have a feeling I will be receiving some very important guests to Valkyrie in the not too distant future."

* * *

Nike Kingsland stopped short as he was looking over the new weapon systems to be installed on the Jackedge models. It had taken a bit of convincing from the captain, but Angrazzo wanted Largan in a mobile suit of competence too, probably in case they decided to finally break their parasitic relations with Ract Elfamel.

A strange feeling washed over him, and he felt that sensation again, thanks to the extra tampering he received, but one thing it always managed to warn him about was _her _presence. He stiffened even as he fought the urge to look around. Behind a series of storage crates, moving silently, talking on a earpiece comm. over a encrypted channel by the sound of it. He stepped toward the Jackedge, determined to be behind the armor of a mobile suit just in case she attempted to catch him again.

Grodek and Ract wanted to go to the Moon to check on whatever caused the volcanic activity. Not a surprise, since just about everyone was talking about it like it was the end of the world. Revelation aside, he suspected that woman was responsible. He clinched his fist and refused to let his mind _ever _wonder there. He would not let it go there again, to even mention that fiend's name. If he could, he would forget about _her_. She still had his brother in her grasp, but he was her creature and Nike wouldn't hold himself responsible for the boy's future. Not anymore.

* * *

**Mars **

Yurin L'Ciel stared at the red rubble strewn surface of the Martian landscape on the other side of her green helmeted normal suit. Vagan technology was truly astounding, and she had to keep herself from mulling over exactly how her suit performed all of its numerous functions without more equipment and bulk. It was refreshing her air and would do that ceaselessly for days if not weeks on end. It had a toilet unit, a hygiene sprinkler system that allowed her to bathe if she needed, it regulated temperature, and as she herself experienced first-hand in the Farsia's explosion, exceptional first aid abilities. From what she had heard from Yark, bullet wounds could be tended and patched automatically, and the material of the suits made them even more resistant to beam weapons.

She looked up at the sound of a grey hawk-shaped craft dash just ten six meters over her head, propelled by green flicker panels on its back, the machine made only a faint roar of wind against its wings. She watched the scout drop over the horizon, blocked by the impressive side of a huge mound of rocks that was the impact crater for one of the colonies. She could even see the cylinder itself, rising high into the pale sky, its sides melted into a seamless, glistening whole from the atmospheric entry.

It took only half a minute to reach the rim of the crater, thanks to the panels on her back, and she touched down just as a larger medic transport dashed down into the crater after the scout unit, this one equipped with multiple claws for the careful removal of rubble or other obstacles impeding the rescue of the trapped and wounded.

Even from a distance, she saw that survivors had begun to leave the colony, scuttling about in the distance like ants as they tried to frantically repair the colony's levitator. She felt a gust of wind tear at her suit, and she leaned into it as it picked up the rusty sand and swept it into a red river around her ankles. She began to descend the crater, even as she looked into the gale coming from the left, eyeing a dropship as it set up a large object roughly octagonal in shape, with tripods for legs. A laser-tipped drill beneath the structure steadily bore into the dirt to secure the machine. Yurin herself had just come from one of these ships, which had already secured its device to the ground behind her. Two others, one on the other side of the crater to the north, and another to the east were securing theirs as well. Once set up, they would hopefully create a barrier to block any magnetic radiation storms that might occur. Considering the rushed atmosphere during the dropship ride to the surface, and the swift actions of the medical corps around her, the Vagan's confidence in their shields must not be very great.

As Yurin finally reached the base of the colony, her heart stopped at the sight of the people as they stumbled about, most without normal suits, gasping and coughing as the medical teams rushed to meet them. Mars' air was breathable (the terraformer's only boast-worthy success), but only barely. Yurin set her teeth together and moved in to help. As she did, her mind's eye kept itself peeled on the rushing clouds blowing around the mountain of steel that was the colony. She had a feeling there was not much time to save a very great many lives.

* * *

**April 22****nd****, AG117-Colony Fardain, The **_**Rondo**_

He had grown up without his parents, both having died from one of the many persistent bacterial diseases running rampant on his home colony at the time. Enreze had been only ten when his aunt and uncle died too. He drifted, eventually finding a dirty, run-down town on Takita colony. There he found close to fifty children from two to thirteen, all starving and most exposed to the less severe mutated bacteria, a deviant of smallpox that could be cured if treated. He had stolen, cheated, killed, but eventually he saved those children and tended them for close to five years. By the time he moved on, the pox had left their scars on him as well. Because of that he unwittingly catapulted himself to the forefront of society. His body's immune system survived the pox infestation, it actually cured him of it without the aid of anymore medicine than what herbs he found somehow surviving Takita's harsh ecosystem. Doctors and scientists tested him, used his blood samples to cure the people of Takita of that disease once and for all. Angelo had been given that name as praise for becoming part of history in Vagan. He helped them win a small victory by his body's strength.

He knew others were still out there though, in the vastness of the Vagan populace, and continued drifting along. He was twenty one then, young, skilled with aircraft, and decided to join the military when he saw a pair of teenagers doing so for the sake of three hot meals a day. Angelo always felt a soft spot for children. He had fought off a gang of them to protect a weakling who was driven off when he caught a nasty virus. Angelo had been there to take him in, despite his new duties as an officer in training. He survived that virus as well, a terrifying mutation of the HIV virus that actually propagated in the sweat glands and transmitted itself through the air or by touch. It was easily treated enough, few died from it nowadays, but it was still persistent and damaging. For that, he gained global attention.

Just that same year, Angelo Enreze defeated all of the top fighter pilots the academy had to offer, save for the three X-Rounder trainees at the time, who surpassed him. He was approached by top researchers for a mysterious project researching biomechanical cells and the possibility they might be used to cure Vagan of its disease….and create an artificial X. Angelo consented to be a test subject. That was when things began to go wrong.

* * *

Flit Asuno dashed aside as bolt of xanthous energy darted past the blue Razor Gundam's head. He swept down toward the attack, firing his beam rifle and nailing a triangle-shaped fighter with a beam cannon mounted on its underbelly. The fighter dashed away in a trail of pale exhaust. Flit caught up and fired a pulsing rapid-fire shot that blew the fighter into spacedust. He looked on his sensor board and then at the battlefield as the two sides turned the empty space between their respective fleets into a vertical downpour of pink and yellow beams.

Woolf dashed down beside him, firing at a retreating missile pod, which had been nicknamed "fleas", due to their quick movements and shape. "Flit, do you see that down there?" He called over the comm. Flit looked down in surprise to see a storm of missiles slowly rising up from a trio of _Fa Raza. _The missiles seemed to be floating in a luminous green field of light, with electrical currents running from one missile to the other.

Woolf fired a shot at the missiles, only to see the DODS rifle blast dissipate harmlessly. With a raised hand from the white G-Exes, Flit and Woolf dashed back toward a descending _Darwin _as it opened up its cannons on the incoming storm of warheads.

Flit felt a pulse of danger and looked back at Fardain. Something was coming, and focused on him.

* * *

Angelo walked resolutely down the catwalk. An Grams was making the big push while reinforcement numbers were high. That meant everyone would participate in this brawl. He squeezed his arm uncomfortably for a moment at the thought of that Mink girl fighting again. She hadn't fooled him with her petty act. Hatred like Mink's came from something cruel and pitiful. He didn't ask because he didn't need to know and couldn't heal the wounds on her heart any more than he could have taken away the pock scars that once covered his bronzed skin.

He touched his forehead and felt the cold metal of the Nanos-zsells through his pilot's suit, the cells had taken away the scars, but also a good deal of who he was—and they would take more of that by the end of this battle. He felt cold from the cells, a stark contrast in comparison to the hot sensation of battle. The zsells would eventually take his soul away, but it would be worthwhile to build a future for that little girl on that. Then maybe that new world could start healing some _real _scars.

Strapping himself into the safety webbing, his suit conforming to the chair, essentially locking him into the pilot's seat, he closed the hatch and started up his machine.

"Angelo Enreze!" A young pilot's voice shouted in a battlecry as his Gafran launched with Angelo's on the open catapult decks of the _Rondo. _

Angelo smiled tightly, it was honestly enjoyable for _anyone _to hear praise. If his name inspired confidence in the pilots, then so be it. The pilots had grown apprehensive when the Bloody Dragon had been placed in cold sleep, but due to the awkwardness of the pilot's age, that had been easily repaired. Angelo had become a sort of replacement, if one could call it that, and he honestly didn't particularly like it. Too much attention was being drawn to a man who was becoming increasingly aware of what the Nanos-zsells could do.

"At least I can still think clear enough to pick a target," he muttered, watching his panoramic monitor light up with violet and red targeting icons. "That blue Gundam was at Ambat, it's practically a symbol of the Federation's determination to crush us. It will do nicely for the kill of the day." The silver, gelatinous controls conformed around his hands and head, sending the rushing, rippling silver halo into his peripheral vision.

* * *

Flit's head darted up from the left-hand screen and locked on the colony's spaceport as a bright, pale blue flash darted from its opening. Now a glowing star with a long tail, the Veinidorr angled through the massed Vagan force; locked onto the Gundam and coming fast and steady. Flit scowled as he dodged a series of missiles from a Jegga missile launcher. "Woolf, deal with this flea for me." Not waiting for a reply, he turned the blue Gundam toward the battleline. The Razor's eyes flashed and drew its double bladed sword.

* * *

Nova Omusa grunted against the g's vicious tug, her helmeted face crushed against the seat as she angled her Genoace around in an impossibly fast u-turn, barely dodging a missile swarm. The missiles collided, sending up a bright flash of light. A Gafran angled down, firing its tail beam cannon. Nova drew back, panting heavily as she locked gazes with the machine. "Kannas, I need you to focus on that flea."

For half a second, her eyes flicked toward the sensor screen, where a white dot marked Ewen Winters. The other pilot was stationed on the other end of the sector the White Team had been tasked to field, a particularly vital gap in the Federation formation. The goal was to hold out long enough for the enemy to rearrange their forces to take advantage of the hole. She didn't know what the Admiralty was thinking, but she prayed it had better happen fast.

"Ewen, how are you holding up?" Nova felt a twinge of danger, and readied herself. The Gafran seemed to tense, then it transformed from mobile armor mode to its humanoid form and dashed at her in a burst of light.

"Fine—we've got missiles inbound—Gafrans?"

Nova parried a blow, then kicked the Gafran back, slamming down on the throttle to hurl herself backwards to gain distance. The enemy lit up the area in front of her with a machinegun volley—then Kannas was there, slamming his black and orange Genoace into the Vagan suit, knocking it back.

"Two of them," Nova said, glancing down to see a second Gafran angling up to meet her, its torso cannon glowing. Dashing back up, Nova stowed her rifle underneath her shield and drew both beam sabers, clashing them against the Gafran's ignited right blade as Kannas dashed in to the left. The enemy let Nova and Kannas push the weapons back as it backpedaled, nearly causing both Genoace to impale each other.

Two other Genoace, both red and from another cruiser besides the _Diva _flashed past, firing their spray guns at the second Gafran, which lazily dodged the attacks.

Nova switched quickly with her rifle, using her shield hand and its still active saber to block a brutal series of slashes from her opponent as Kannas gained distance and fired with his beam rifle. The Gafran returned fire with its tail cannon and dashed upwards, transforming and angling up toward a _Darwin _as it hovered over their battle, firing its cannons into the enemy lines.

Nova whirled as an alarm screeched in her ear, sweat droplets flashing past her face as she narrowly missed a crackling energy beam. The Gafran was there, hacking and slashing. She dropped a grenade in front of them, letting the blinding explosion work for her as she gained distance, firing now at the first Gafran as it spiraled down at the two Genoace.

"Rookies! Back-to-back! Concentrate on that Gafran and watch the enemy lines," Nova commanded over the comm. "The missiles!" She swung her rifle up and fired a shot into an oncoming warhead, this one long and tubular with orange-fiery light trailing behind it. The blast knocked it off course, and a second and third beam blew it apart. "It's three shots for missiles, aim and lock your fire to triple hits automatically!"

"I can't do that while under fire!" A male voice called frantically from one of the two Genoace as it fired despairingly at the Gafran, which lazily wove around the shots and unleashed a full barrage at the overhead _Darwin. _

"Then learn!" She snapped, rocketing backward and firing a storm of cover fire as her current opponent dashed at her, arm outstretched and palm glowing. She threw up her shield, even as the beams leapt out like meteors.

Wordlessly screaming, Nova wove through the shots—a Jegga leapt past her, opened its mouth and poured forth a swarm of missiles.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Adams Tinel watched the battlelines slowly closing together. The plan was not a flawless one, but it was solid but for only one important factor, the Federation forces could not get past the enemy defenses. They had thrown a great deal in the siege at the enemy, and even now he saw the huge white cones approaching from the other side of the colony fortress; the dreaded signal jammers that projected cone-shaped fields of disruptive signals that made all form of tactical scanners and communications useless, like an Ion field if that was what it was.

He glanced at the chair's monitor, watching the progress of the slowly approaching missile storm from below. The green field had made them impenetrable except to the beam cannons on the _Darwins. _Now with a good deal of firepower directed at this new weapon, the enemy was advancing, and Fardain was beginning to drift further and further toward the left. The Moon would be close soon, close enough that Fardain might actually be able to catch onto its gravity well such as it was and land (or whatever the enemy planned to do there).

Adams forced his eyes away from the glowing surface of the satellite. He had to stay focused and figure out a way to bypass the enemy's near limitless supply of tricks.

* * *

Flit sent the Gundam spiraling away from a storm of firepower as he dashed into the enemy's defensive field.

Suddenly his sensors board went black, and all but the auxiliary cameras became a garbled mess. Throwing his attention ahead, he spied a warship-sized cone hovering just ahead, its tip pointed straight at him. Gunning his engines, Flit dashed at the device, even as an electronic series of crackles issued from his comm., growing louder and louder until at last he was over the projector cone, DODS rifle firing away. The cone spun nearly one hundred and eighty degrees, then glowed and burst into a million pieces of shrapnel.

Then a missile streaked down at him with a flash of violet light. He spun, firing his DODS rifle as the Veinidorr sailed in, unleashing a blinding teal beam blast from the cannon mounted on its underside. With a flash the machine transformed to mobile suit mode, its rife attaching to its right hand.

"So you are the famous Flit Asuno," laughed Angelo Enreze with a cackle through the comm. His face appeared on Flit's chat screen, eyes bulging and wild. "Angelo Enreze. It's a pleasure."

"Not for me." Flit snapped, placing his separated blades onto the Gundam's forearms. With a battlecry, he dashed at the Veinidorr, which drew back in a flash and transformed up out of the way.

_Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt._

Flit suddenly spun to his right, firing a series of rapid-fire blasts as the missile streaked in, dodging each of his beams with uncanny ease. He felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach. "Just like at Ambat when"-the missile sailed closer, and Flit finally unleashed one of the Razor's blades on its left shoulder. The metal sliced the warhead in two, letting it erupt in a violent explosion. A flash of warning later, Flit was racing through a storm of fire as the Veinidorr opened hatches all along the diamond-shaped binders on its body and launched an entire wave of missiles.

_Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt_

With a sudden realization of horror as the missiles surrounded him in their elegant dance through the crossfire, Flit realized his senses failed him when danger flew from every side.

* * *

"Incredible," Iris Julia said from beside Angrazzo Lambro's chair. The bridge of the _Nightingale _hung in dead silence before the Moon's slightly glowing surface. The rim of the satellite seemed to glow as wisps of vapor trailed into space behind the advancing moon. Bright yellow streams from opened craters and through deep valleys recently gouged into its surface. Smoke like volcanic ash trailed along the surface from where Almanon Crater once rested, obscuring the central southern regions of the Moon.

"It's a sight," Yianna drawled. "So, who did this?"

"This is it!" Mozart Killisk leapt out of his seat, his face enthused. "A burst of inspiration from this horrifying scene!" With that he pushed back down and began typing on his console madly.

"Stay focused," Angrazzo said gruffly. He turned to Guss. "Tell Mhatt and Nike I want them out in the mobile suits."

"And watch for debris," Yianna added. "I bet there is a lot of junk thrown up by those volcanoes."

Grodek sat in his chair, unmoving, his face as unreadable as usual. After a moment he took out his PDA and began to type.

"Do you have any clear location in mind, or shall we skim the surface and take pictures of the landscape?" Angrazzo asked. Iris started to object to his tone but Angrazzo silenced her with a tap to her lips with his finger.

"We are looking for Valkyrie Crater," Ract Elfamel said, leaning forward to peer at Yianna's guide map, which was apparently now going to be of superficial use. "It is a manmade crater that was covered over, so we will have to use scanners."

"Hey," Guss said, swearing. He brought up an image of the surface below, where a ship was skimming over a field of hardened lava. "That ship's Vagan!"

"I want Largan, Geget, and Misty out there now," Angrazzo said. "Mozart, get our guns primed."

"Beams incoming!" Guss yelled.

"Yeehaw!" Yianna laughed, sending the _Nightingale _into a steep dive. From his chair, Ract grabbed the seats—it felt more like a sudden drop. Saffron pillars of energy raced passed them on either side. Largan's Jackedge suddenly flew up in front of the bridge, his shield blocking a brilliant blast of fire.

"Time to earn my keep," Largan called through the comm. with a cheery smile.

"You've earned it," Angrazzo said, waving a hand vigorously. "Just stay there until we're down."

* * *

With a flash of violet light from their wings, the four mobile suits angled up from the surface of the blackened lava field and swept up toward the approaching _Darwin. _"They _found us,_" Telemari Agori hissed to her teammates. She powered her Gafran forward, beam machineguns and tail cannon leveled over its head. "Spread out and cover the _Paradigm. _Try and limit the enemy's maneuverability so it can't dodge the Paradigm's guns."

She scowled back down at the surface as the black clouds covered her ship from sight, then she looked out into the darkness of space, where small flashes of light indicated Fardain was coming into view.

* * *

**Earth Federation cruiser, **_**Resplendent**_, **the Moon**

Simba Tapiwa watched the flashes of light blink into the sky off to his ship's right. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, then turned to Amadis Largo. "Get ready, we will be entering the crater entrance soon. There is only one way in or out of Valkyrie." He touched Amadis' hand. "Stay sharp. If you have to, leave the entrance and hide in one of these craters," he pointed out the viewport at a molten rock-filled crater not far below. "The ship's heat signature should stay hidden there."

Amadis made note that if he did that, Simba would have no way off Valkyrie. He refused to make eye contact with the old man. "You're planning your death, Simba," he said slowly.

"Oh, no No," Simba said quickly, drawing his hand back and sitting straighter in his chair. "I don't plan to die at all. I worried about you, Amadis. The Old can't build the future, that is your job." He stroked his long, snowy white beard again, black, sparkling eyes locked on the dark tunnel that suddenly loomed up ahead in the side of the canyon. Streams of molten rock trickled inside, their red light not dispelling an inch of the darkness.

"They can only fix the distortions of the present."

* * *

Inside the cockpit of her small, single-person fighter, Lumia Tarragon watched as the _Nightingale _dropped down toward the surface amidst a volley of dispersed beam blasts. Raven 1 was _so _close, she couldn't see him killed just because the Vagan were here for some unfathomable reason.

* * *

**Valkyrie subterranean lunar base**

Luli Jasmine chewed at her gum as she stood arms crossed in her command chamber, the circular console around her sending up waves of data and images from the recently planted cameras. She squeezed her bicep at the sight of a Vagan _Fa Raza _engaging the _Nightingale. _If she lost Nike Kingsland now, it would be a sore waste. And worse if the ship lead the Vagan straight to her lair at a time like this was unacceptable.

She left her chamber and moved into the dark halls of the base. The electrical systems were down. The automated _security _was down! She bit her lip and stopped only when she felt blood. Her patience was beginning to wane. Her worker crews weren't to blame. It was all her fault, and it brought no end of frustration. She couldn't vent her rage on her own body, right?

When she reached the command center, she sat down in a gritty chair and straightened her uniform, trying to decide what Simba Tapiwa could _possibly _want. _Even if he desires my life, it will cost him more to kill a valuable resource like me. Once he gets his explanation for why the Moon is now volcanic, he will leave me alone. _Her mind returned to the true problem at hand. Cinnamon Maugh had yet to report. She tried to decide exactly what that meant. Perhaps the Vagan were all dead.

_No, we got a transmission three hours post using the Voodoo Doll System. _She rubbed her chin. Regardless, she had a meeting to look forward to.

"Hello, Director Jasmine," Simba Tapiwa's voice called from the doorway.

Luli's eyes snapped up to find Simba Tapiwa standing there with two guards, his face set in a heavy frown. "It is high time I paid a visit to your humble home."

* * *

**Fardain **

Shuddering with fear inside the cockpit of the Razor Gundam, Flit Asuno unleashed a barrage of beam rifle fire, trying to catch the missiles up in the spiraling blasts. But the missiles easily evaded each shot in precise movements, not detonating for anything, even when they struck another mobile suit in the frenzy of battle. It was overwhelming, the beams, the grenades, other machines and getting caught up in their duels. Yet while he took grazing shots along the Gundam's armor, the missiles continued to work their way through the tumult with precision he never thought possible.

_Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt_

Flit moved aside as a Gafran lurched by, firing its beam cannons. He slashed another in half as he past, now nothing more than a blue comet to anyone watching from outside the cockpit of the Razor. _Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt. _Then the Veinidorr was there, dashing up beside him to slash with its tonfa blades. Flit blocked with his own blades, then kicked the Veinidorr back, the blades in the Razor's knees slicing off his opponent's leg. The Veinidorr raised its rifle and fired, all the while dodging a swarm of fire from the _Darwins. _The two machines were now in the center between the two fleets, and Flit barely had time to move, much less fire. The glowing beam blast arced through the firestorm and struck a _Darwin. _In a cyan blast of energy the ship's upper half exploded in a million fragments. _Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt. _Flit fairly screamed as that annoying pattern of noise filtered into his head again, a rhythmic sensation underneath the terror and panic the halo was hurling him through.

"You're not an X-Rounder!" Flit roared, spiraling back down toward the Federation lines, desperate to find friendly cover fire as the missiles closed in._ Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt. _"What _are _you!?" _It's just like that feeling at Ambat, when I first entered the control room."_

"Try to be a little more engaged in the battle!" Angelo roared over the comm., coming in hard with a saber slash that gouged a scar into the Gundam's chest. The Veinidorr drew back for a killing stab, but Flit kicked the suit back and rushed even further away, only to find the missiles arcing in._ Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt. _The missiles rushed up. Flit fired off another series of rounds, then combined his blades and threw the boomerang at the missiles, catching one and slicing it in half. The feeling was growing stronger, madder, more erratic._ Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt. _"Enough!" Flit screamed even as the missiles closed in. A stray beam blast took down two of the missiles but that still left five arcing toward him like a pack of wolves.

Meanwhile the Veinidorr dropped down amidst the front row of _Darwins _and unleashed a full barrage of missiles. With almost practiced ease, Angelo sent them all into the bridge and turrets of the enemy battleships. The entire front row disintegrating, Angel turned back toward the Gundam, transformed the Veinidorr into mobile armor mode and rushed on to finish his foe. A _Darwin _rose up, but a single shot from his plasma rifle blew it apart. The silver halo washed over him, becoming an ocean.

_Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt. Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt. Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt. _Flit screamed as the noise reached a fever pitch. "Enough of that!" He yelled, turning back toward the approaching Veinidorr. Suddenly the missiles dashed forward with a burst of light. Flit watched as they drew up alongside his Gundam.

The world went white.

* * *

Woolf drew back behind his shield, taking a pair of missiles. Through the smoke a Jegga missile pod dashed away in a flash, and a Gafran roared down to take its place, firing a beam cannon blast from its torso. Woolf dashed around the beam and drew his longsaber, cutting at the Gafran, which blocked and spiraled away, now harried by beam cannon blasts from the warships.

Woolf glanced to his right thanks a warning alarm and fired off two more shots, obliterating three missiles as they streaked in. There was a flash, and he saw a _colony buster _dash past and strike a _Darwin _in the center of the fleet. The tremendous fireball engulfed five other ships, including the _Diva, _pummeling them with molten shrapnel.

"Ewen! Another one!" Woolf screamed as he fired a couple of DODS rifle blasts into an oncoming swarm of smaller warheads. Ewen Winter dropped down beside Woolf in his Shaldoll, unleashing two consecutive bazooka rounds from the launcher on the machine's shoulder. The missile corkscrewed away from the ships and detonated harmlessly below, creating a giant starburst of light. Woolf squinted as he pushed Ewen aside and blocked the incoming Gafran's tail beam sword with his longsaber. Slashing the enemy blade aside, Woolf pumped a beam into the Gafran, blowing it apart.

Pummeled with shrapnel, the two machines flew down beneath the main line of ships, toward the missile storm below as it climbed steadily toward the fleet, its numbers still far from depleted thanks to its protective field. Woolf was about to say something into the comm. when suddenly the green field vanished. "Uh-oh."

"Get back, they're accelerating!" Ewen cried, speaking to the _Darwins _closest by. With a unanimous flash, the missiles shed a portion of their length. Now egg-shaped, the warheads blasted past the two mobile suits in a storm of green light.

* * *

**The ****Rondo**

An Grams sat straighter in his seat as the EMP missiles dashed up and careened into the sides of the enemy's lower left flank—his left—not theirs. Now that the enemy's fleet formation was floundering, it was time to hit them with everything they had and retreat for the Moon while they had time. It was going to be as close as it ever would get in the next two hours, he needed the fortress moved by then.

* * *

Flit dodged another wave of beam fire, then watched as the Veinidorr arced down in front of him and ignited a teal beam saber and pointed at the battered chest of the Razor. "It's time for you to go to the grave!" Angelo screamed with triumph, eyes twitching madly as the overwhelming power rippled through his mind and made his vision a fluid blur, as if he were looking through water. "I'm going to make a future for the children of Vagan is never threatened by you." The Veinidorr dashed forward, but Flit drew up the Razor's legs and released the Mantis claws.

Grappling with the grey green machine, the Razor dashed through the Federation fleet, dodging friendly fire. Suddenly the Veinidorr dashed back and released a pair of missiles, which sped at him in a flash. With a sudden yell, Flit narrowed his eyes and flung the front skirt armor blades at the missiles in the last possible instant. With a flash, the weapons darted aside and detonated, battering the Gundam and melting away one of the tonfa blades. The Veinidorr rushed in, its own blade raised to bisect the Gundam from head to torso. Then suddenly as its blade descended, Flit moved the Razor to the right and disengaged its left arm. The blade sailed through harmlessly. As the Veinidorr passed between the Gundam and its limb, Flit spun the Razor about and grabbed the enemy with his Mantis claws. Releasing those limbs as well, Flit grabbed the remaining arm and reconnected it as the Veinidorr fought desperately to pry itself free of the Mantis claws.

"This isn't enough to stop me!" Roared Angelo.

"For now, it is," Flit replied, whipping out the DODS rifle. The drilling beam screwed into the Veinidorr's right wing binder, unleashing a violent burst of light as the missiles inside detonated in a fiery blast.

* * *

Nova Omusa sent her Genoace spiraling desperately through another series of maneuvers. Another group of missiles streaked in. Nova glanced at them as she parried a blow from the Gafran, whipped out her machine gun and let loose a burst of rounds that knocked the missiles off-course and blew them apart before they reached their targets. The Gafran took advantage of this distraction to slice off her machine's arm and kick her back against the hull of a _Darwin. _

A scream issued through the comm., followed by a pop of static as the transmission ended. Nova looked up to find one of the rookie's Genoace disappearing into a fireball under fire from the second Gafran. The remaining Genoace dashed backward, firing madly. The Gafran dashed down after it, its tail cannon whipping from underneath its shoulder to blast off the Genoace's leg. The limb blew apart, peppering the mobile suit's chest with shrapnel. A burst of smoke erupted from the machine's wounds, causing the rookie's suit to vanish in a ball of smoke. The Genoace drifted out of it, unmoving.

"Kannas!" Nova yelled, using her machinegun to drive her opponent back. The bullets knocked the Gafran about, keeping it from aiming properly.

Below, the second Gafran darted for the black and orange Genoace, diffuse emitter glowing.

Kannas felt a pulse of agitation at the Genoace's incompetency. In an eyeblink, Kannas darted forward with all his remaining thrust using his knee to knock the descending saber arm back and spear the enemy suit with his beam saber. Flipping over the Gafran, Kannas grabbed his saber and then kicked the Vagan machine back as it immolated itself.

"Kannas, what was that?" Nova asked as she dodged a lethal stab from her opponent's beam sword. The Gafran swung its tail back around as she came in from behind it, nearly taking off her Genoace's head. The tail cannon fired, sending Nova spiraling away, her Genoace beginning to break apart.

* * *

Woolf dodged another of the missiles as the swarm rocketed into the _Darwins, _pulverizing all form of electronics. The fleet was in disarray, the damaged vessels unable to even ask for or receive orders. The guns began to grow silent, and when they did the ships blew apart one after another, all before the frustrated scowl of Woolf as he battered aside squadrons of space fighters and missile launchers. A Baqto wheeled up, but Ewen drove it away with a furious barrage of beam fire.

Dashing through a squad of the triangular Vagan craft, Woolf drew his longsabers and spun, slicing all of them into blazing junks of metal. Ahead, a Vagan weapons platform angled its three cannons toward him and let loose a punishing salvo. He dashed through the blasts, trying to get within rifle range. The enemy platform deployed a pair of flat-topped circular turrets from its smooth sides and let loose a beam machinegun storm. Woolf used his shield to block, still coming fast. Then the three binders on the platform opened up and unleashed a wave of missiles. Woolf switched to his DODS rifle and fired, catching the missiles up in a swirling pillar if fire.

With a screech, his beam longsaber cut through one of the binders, separating it from the platform, and a series of well placed DODS rifle blasts tore open one of the other remaining missile binder pods. Woolf dashed back across the storm of beam fire. Behind, the platform, trailing a massive column of flame, listed to one side and finally blew apart.

"Ewen, where do you think you're going?" Woolf shouted as he saw the red Shaldoll blast a pair of missiles apart with its bazooka as it dashed for an open space in the battleline.

"Nova's sending a distress signal," was all Ewen offered in response.

"Oh please," Woolf growled, "She's a competent pilot. Get back here or it'll be insubordination."

"Not until I make sure she's safe," Ewen snapped back as his Shaldoll dashed ahead.

* * *

**The Moon**

Largan Drace angled his Jackedge around beam machinegun fire from the Gafran, then stepped on the throttle and swept passed the Vagan machine, using his rifle's bayonet to cut a deep gash in the enemy's armor.

Behind him, Mhatt Oliver and Misty Halavi were engaging the enemy ship directly, though doing more dodging and weaving and making little headway. The Vagan ship was still plowing ahead, so it looked like both sides would disengage soon enough, if the enemy captain had other more pressing matters than fighting pirates.

Suddenly a small, single-person fighter darted to Largan's right. He turned to see Nike's Jackedge in hot pursuit. The two reached the lunar surface and began moving toward a deep valley half hidden by the volcanic ash clouds sweeping just above the landscape. "Nike, you're getting too far out from the battle!" Largan called, not sure if the regular rule for MS teams actually applied to the Bisidian or not, he didn't press the issue and got back to dodging glowing beam bolts from the enemy Gafran.

Then Nike's voice crackled onto the comm. "Yianna, aim for the valley to the north, the entrance to Valkyrie is inside."

* * *

"You're rushing in to our arms!" Lumia Saffron laughed, dodging Nike's beam rifle blasts. "Why on Earth are you helping these Bisidian? You're a masterpiece! Only a few more tweaks and you would become a superior to any X-Rounder alive!"

"I'm not keen on more of experiments!" Nike shouted back, swiping at the fighter as it passed by. "I thought you understood that. But instead you've been hunting me this whole time!"

"What else could I do to save my neck? I was the one who let you go in the first place! Director Jasmine only spared me because she thought I could retrieve you the fastest!"

"To think I loved you," Nike growled, firing a round from the Jackedge's hidden head vulcans. "You're just selfish!" He swiped again, but the fighter dodged at the last second and darted into the dark opening of Valkyrie's entryway. "I don't know why Grodek or Elfamel came to this place, but while I'm here I'll take the opportunity to settle the score with you and _HER!"_

"If that's how you feel than you should come and get me," Lumia laughed. "And don't think you can even touch the Director. We won't allow it."

"Don't _ever _mention her existence again! It's an affront to me!" Nike screamed, blasting into the darkened halls of the tunnel, following the trail of molten rock like a guiding path in the darkness.

* * *

**Fardain**

Flit managed to get another shot off at the Veinidorr, which danced through the blasts and then finally rocketed after him, igniting a massive beam sword from its palm, much larger than any Flit had seen yet. Energy flickered up the shaft like blue fire. Flit clashed his own beam saber against the blade, only for it to push through and nearly slice the Gundam in two. Backpedaling, Flit opened up a salvo of DODS rifle blasts, forcing the enemy back.

_Rtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrtrtrcrt. _That terrifyingly irritating noise rang in his head again, but Flit silenced it with a blast of willpower. He relaxed a bit, now that the distraction was gone for good.

"If you think that sound is annoying, try it from this end, monster!" Angelo Enreze laughed on the other end.

"Monster?" Flit asked, incredulous. "You're crazy."

"And you're tough," Angelo said. "I've got a feeling you'll cause a great deal of heartache if I let you go any further." He raised the Veinidorr's beam sword.

The two pilots took their stances and charged for a final clash—suddenly a massive ball of pulsating light spiraled past them, a storm of energy swirling about its edges like the arms of a hurricane. The blast hit one of the Vagan weapons platforms, blowing a huge hole in its side. The platform listed and began to belch smoke and flame.

Flit and Angelo looked up as one to see the AGE-1 unit II descend in the black and red armor of the Gundead Wear.

"Flit," Milias Alloy called over the comm. "I've come to even the odds a little. Care if I join in?"

Flit sat back in relief. "Would I ever."

"The retreat signal," Milias said with slight disappointment as she saw a number of combat flares light up over the fleet. "Let's get back to the _Diva, _Vargas and Dique are bringing the second AGE Builder."

Flit glanced back toward the Veinidorr, which extinguished its beam sword and rocketed off toward the retreating Fardain. "Later Gundams."

"That pilot," Milias muttered as she watched it go from within the Gundead's cockpit, "who was he."

"Someone who's using those Nanos-zsells the Ambat commander talked about."

The two Gundams turned about and took off with a flash, Milias felt a strange sensation run up her spine as she glanced in the rear camera. "So much for your estimation that the battles won't be desperate."

Flit sat in the cockpit, consumed with his own thoughts as they reached the battered form of the _Diva._

* * *

**The **_**Diva **_

Flit pulled off his helmet and leaned against the wall, his body utterly exhausted. He closed his eyes and tried to forget the rushing fear as the missiles spiraled around him. X-Rounder powers had a recoil it seemed, and this Angelo Enreze's machine capitalized on it.

_Siarle wasn't the only one unprepared. _The warships, the crossfire and that new model_. _He gripped his helmet until the knuckles beneath his flight suit turned white. "I don't know if I can survive this again." Bruzar wanted him to save the Earth Sphere, and he had promised himself that the Gundam would destroy this menace. Milias however, was _his _hero today. How many times would that happen before Flit ran out of people to save _him_?


	18. Chapter 18 Tycho, Lake of Fire

_**Chapter Eighteen Tycho, Lake of Fire**_

* * *

**April 23****rd****, AG117-Earth Sphere the Moon, Valkyrie subterranean base**

_The test tubes, the feeling of breathlessness as oxygen was pumped into his lungs through some hellish apparatus. Water, no air. No sight. No smell. No sound. No thought. Fear._

_Yes, there was fear, and pain. The feeling of his mind changing, of something growing there, sending strange twinges through every nerve ending like lighting. _Her _face. He remembered_ HER_. The one that he saw when they took him out of the tube, into the air, and his senses returned in a terrible blast of white sterile lights, cold steel floors, nauseating chemical odors, and muttering scientists as they scribbled on pieces of plastic paper._

Nike Kingsland stalked through the darkened halls of Valkyrie, finding them very different from what they used to be. Instead of white steel floors seamless save for the black outlines of doors that glowed red when locked or green when open, the square black heating panels that lined the tops of the ceiling and refreshed the air—the replacement that made ventilation shafts a spy's fantasy long gone by. All was dark, totally black save for a few emergency battery powered lights sat up on the ground recently. Their pale yellow glow illuminating half-caved in hallways grey from grit and dust, covered in pieces of the metal ceiling, wires, and even numerous piles of moon rock shaken loose during the earthquakes.

There were gaps in the floor, some splitting the hallways so entire sections of the base weren't even officially connected anymore, but perhaps only a few feet wide, making them easy to span with a jump. There were smaller fissures, black little chasms like mouths everywhere. Nike turned a corner and found himself facing a dead end, the entire hall beyond having long since vanished into a deep rift in the ground now totally filled with fallen rock and debris from a fresh avalanche. There were even trickles of hardened and still cooling lava trailing down from the ceiling, warning that parts of the base may yet remain unsafe.

He glanced to the right, seeing a doorway that led to Cognition Semantics test room 1. The outline of the door was red, and he decided he'd rather not revisit that room again anyway. The insanity-bringing pain of hearing voices in one's head for days on end while your mind was reprogrammed still held no small degree of terror for him.

Nike glanced back at the fallen debris and silently reveled in the sight. This was a small victory; the Director's entire lab was gone, crushed and buried forever. All that remained was to bury her and Lumia along with it.

* * *

"It appears we could not settle an agreement." Luli Jasmine pointed her pistol at Simba Tapiwa's chest.

"How unfortunate," Simba said with a contemptuous shake of his head. "That you are unashamed of your evil."

"I don't believe in evil, moral absolutes were killed off when mankind decided we were monkeys."

"Even animals don't behave as you do," Simba swept his hand, "And no, no Director Jasmine. Morality still breathes, the fact that people like me still live is proof of that."

"However much I enjoy discussing abstracts, I am in need of a scapegoat."

Both turned to see the battered and dented door shakily slide open, letting Grodek Ainoa step into the control room, wearing a black normal suit and thin, rectangular sunglasses. He pushed them up and took out a pistol as Ract Elfamel entered behind him, wearing a grey normal suit and helmet. Grodek narrowed his eyes at Simba Tapiwa. "Mind if we join the negotiations?"

"Not unless you want to partake in a firefight." Simba said with a smile.

"It seems my selection just increased," Jasmine said, tilting her head back with a lopsided smirk. "Hm, I wonder if I should use all of you."

Grodek stepped further into the room. "I have no intention of allowing you to leave, Director Jasmine." He leveled off the gun at her head. "I have questions I want you to answer."

* * *

**he _Diva_**

Captain Adams Tinel of the _Diva_ glanced over the schematic displayed on the monitor above the viewport, where a map indicated Fardain's current location and predicted path.

"They have reached the Moon and have dropped into as much an orbit as can be managed," Adams noted.

"The logical course for the enemy to take is scout out and set up bases along the surface as they move," Captain Adalbrecht Diamler said, chin resting in the space between thumb and forefinger. "We have essentially lost the Moon to Vagan."

"The Vagans," Adams said, clinching his fist in frustration. "We should be establishing as many outposts there as possible before they dig in their heels."

"Of course, but _how_?" Adalbrecht gestured with his hand, "the Admiralty is at a stalemate. Kindle believes we should focus on reorganizing our troops after the last failed attack. Admiral Sireneen wants to attack now and is already beginning the next phase in a second assault."

"I don't know what she could accomplish other than draw the enemy vessels away from the colony," Adams said.

Adalbrecht snapped his fingers. "Ah! That's it. We could get through to the spaceports if they got rid of enough battleships. We have numerical superiority, it could work if we coordinate our movements properly."

"I see," Adams said with a frown. "Will the enemy play along?"

"They have to regardless if they want to set up bases. I highly doubt they have enough reserve forces waiting in the wings, not with all we've seen of their movements." Adalbrecht said with finality.

* * *

**C****olony Torrian**

Eldas Drace scowled into the PDA. "Tyle. I don't have time to waste. Where is the AGE device?"

"Flit Asuno does have it, please I beg you Grandfather give me a little time and we can have it and two Gundams and their Wear builders," the younger Drace's face turned to hopeful pleading.

"I don't care about the damn Gundams!" Growled Eldas, his lips peeling back in a guttural snarl. His face softened as Tyle visibly blanched. "Listen to me—that device is more precious than anything else right now. Don Boyage is still pouring over that journal trying to find the truth—and when he does—well, he won't be long in contacting Flit Asuno let me tell you that much."

"Grandfather, what are you not telling me?" Tyle asked. "I am your grandson, I deserve to know."

"No. Not while you're on the _Diva. _If they heard this message they would seal our doom. Do not contact me again, if you do I will know something is amiss. Use the password to confirm if you are not caught when I contact _you _once I deal with Boyage."

"Is there a plan in place to dispose of him?"

"Not at present, I thought I could still turn him over but he is stuck tightly to his animosity toward me. I should have joined in at Ambat. Largan was right about that," Eldas looked down, trying to suppress the pain. Despite his deviant views, Largan had still been his own flesh and blood. "I'm going, take care, Tyle." He clicked off the PDA and stood in the shadow of Boyage's mansion. What to do with Boyage? A pistol would surely silence him, but he didn't know if that was even possible now. He had missed the chance to get close and Boyage would not give him an equal opportunity again.

* * *

**Fardain**

An Grams sat within his office, glancing over the details of the operation. If they succeeded in getting control of the Moon, the Vagan populace would have a place to migrate. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let loose a blast of air. The trauma of the homeworld's fate was enough to break the military, and even now An Grams wasn't sure exactly how well he had quelled their frustration and fear. The atmosphere had grown quite dirty and pallid within the colony.

He looked over a report. The only good news was that somehow, by a trick of fate, Zul Dahala managed to receive superficial damage during the storms. Despite being constructed near the rim of the planet's gravity signature, Angra Zenon had yet to blast it out of the heavens. In the same vein of developments, new mobile suits had been rolled out in the newly constructed factory inside Fardain. If they could just wait out the Federation, he could rebuild his forces from the ground up, mining on the Moon for resources if need be to furnish materials. And the new shield weapon was ready at last. It had been two years, but the Kratos would make up for it, and make their new fortress invincible once they reached the Moon's surface.

Assuming he managed that part of the plan.

The door slid open and Telemari Agori entered and saluted smartly. "Supreme Commander, I have come to make my report on the scouting mission." An Grams waved a hand for her to continue and looked up from his holoscreen, which blinked off.

"We have found the surface of the Moon is relatively unstable so establishing a base in the subterranean areas will most likely be too dangerous. However, we believe we can construct a defensive installation here," she touched a holo button floating in front of her, bringing up a digital map. "A lava lake once called…" she trailed off as she tried to read the name, "Tycho Crater."

* * *

**Valkyrie subterranean base**

The room remained silent for a long moment, each member of the little party keeping their guns at the ready as the tension built. Luli Jasmine stood before them, smiling.

"This is an outrage," Simba Tapiwa said after a moment's silence. "How could you do this Jasmine? To think, your vary actions are the same as what created a menace like the Vagan to start with!" His old, towering frame shook with emotion.

"I regret asking for an explanation," Ract Elfamel said after a moment. "I could have gone without knowing this."

"Genocide," Grodek Ainoa said quietly with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, "the Federation proves once again how casually it goes about it."

"I am not the Federation," Jasmine said with an airy wave. "And neither are you gentlemen. We have a revolutionary, a dead mutineer, and an ancient fossil acting on his own. We have much to gain by working together."

"We have _nothing _to gain," Simba snapped angrily, raising his trembling finger. He spun to Grodek and Ract. "I have never had the privilege to meet either of you face to face, but your actions do not speak of men who allow such evil as this to go unpunished."

Four armed soldiers rushed to the doorway behind Grodek and Ract, assault rifles pointing at the three men.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Simba but I have a scheduled launch to make," Luli Jasmine said, stepping past them to stand just behind her guards.

"You're abandoning Valkyrie?" Simba asked in disbelief.

"You can have the terraformer if you want," Jasmine said with a smirk. "I won't be using it again." She changed her attention to Grodek. "I wish we could have talked longer, Ainoa, you intrigue me. But I digress. Feel pleased that i have made my own fortress your sepulcher."

"Wait"-Grodek whipped up his pistol. "I have some questions for you, Luli Jasmine. What do you hope to accomplish with these erratic movements?"

"You destroyed my original plans, so it is of no consequence what I plan to do now," Jasmine replied with a frown. "And now I have business to attend to." She started to walk away, then seemed to remember something. She stepped forward, drawing her gun in the fastest draw Grodek had ever seen. The bullet struck Simba Tapiwa before the old man hardly had time to move. He fell to the ground, clutching his abdomen as spurts of blood flew across the uneven floor.

Grodek and Ract leapt back, gaining cover behind a junk of metal debris as the four soldiers opened fire on them. The left-most soldier went down with a scream, one of Ract's bullets striking him in the shoulder. Her three escorts backed up, one of them dropping a circular plate onto the floor, a sensor bomb, effectively blocking the doorway. Grodek and Ract would not be following Jasmine now.

* * *

**The **_**Diva, **_**hanger bay**

Flit Asuno watched as the AGE Builder opened with a hiss of steam from evaporated coolant as the miniaturized factory proffered the last piece of the new Wear.

The Starks Wear relied on a pair of shoulder-mounted rocket binders and numerous other thrusters studded all over its body to match speeds with the Zedas and Veinidorr. The binders also acted as heavy shields, using the advanced ceramic composite that made the AGE-1 so durable in multiple lairs, making them quite resistant to heavy weapons fire. The Starks originally had not been blessed with any new weaponry, one reason Flit neglected to use the new armor after seeing the schematics after the failed attack on the convoy. Now, however, the AGE System had created a weapon that could resist the penetrating power of the Veinidorr's beam sword. It took the form a javalin, probably taking into account Flit's sudden usage of the weapons, only with a large, cone-shaped spike that could surround itself with beam energy in a similar fashion the DODS weapons. If the Reiber Lance worked according to its specifications, Flit would not be so helpless against the enemy in his next encounter.

On a related note, the System added a pair of missile pods in the shoulder binders after gathering quite a bit of direct experience on the damage missile weapons could do to a mobile suit. They also could be used to destroy the Veinidorr's mentally controlled weapons, for which Flit was eternally grateful. And now, thanks to the timely arrival of Milias and unit II, a DODS bazooka was now being added to the Starks for added firepower. All in all, an excellent design that puffed Flit's chest with pride as he watched his machines going through the typical maintenance.

He looked over to see Dique and Milias approaching with a pair of massive machines moving slowly over their heads. The pair stopped by Flit, and watched as the two clawed robots continued toward a space in the hanger designated for them to dock. "What are those?" Flit asked, remembering a memo on a new support unit for the AGE Gundams.

"We call them AMEMBO, it stands for AGE Mechanical Equipment Moving BOat," Dique said proudly, beaming with pride as his creations touched against the far wall and the hanger braces closed their arms about the Amembos.

"They're used to swap AGE Wears during battle, so we won't be relying on dropships or cargo shuttles anymore," Milias said.

"It can save lives thanks to their AI pilots," Dique added solemnly.

"That reminds me, when did you have time to build all this? And how did you create a new Wear without the AGE device?" Flit asked, pointing at the black armor resting on Milias' Gundam.

"The Builder II is just as capable of constructing new Wears as the original, unattached to the System though it be, it can still create Wears if we supply completed data," Dique explained. "Didn't you read the memos?"

"I have piloting duties too," Flit countered, feeling a bit flushed he now knew less than Dique about his own creation. "Where did you get the data to build the Gundead then?"

"It was almost completed, so I tweaked a few bits of the design. It was probably a result from what data you received from that giant mobile armor you fought inside Ambat," Dique reasoned. "The Gundead has a missile store, a plasma flamethrower on one arm that also duel rolls as the bazooka's charger."

"I want more weaponry," Milias said, folding her arms. "I feel a bit limited with just the plasmathrower."

"It's more of a sprayer." Dique corrected, holding up a finger as he started off toward the Gundead, Milias in tow. "And it serves as a deadly melee weapon the enemy won't suspect. It lowers the power you can draw from the AGE-1's plasma drive, but it makes full use of said power source. And we can add beam sabers anytime, so it is not like you have to be choosy, save that after you use the Bazooka, you must wait to use the plasmathrower because the drive hasn't created more."

"Tough choice," Milias, touching her chin with a finger.

Flit watched them go, scowling. Milias should go to _him _for questions about the Gundam, not _Dique. _The boy was a surprisingly good engineer, but he was usurping Flit's role as the chief mechanic of the device. "He's even got _me _asking questions!" Flit realized, messing with his hair in rage. Turning resolutely about, Flit left the hanger, his good mood ruined.

He tried to leave it, anyway. Haro floated over and dropped down in front of his face. "Ensign, the Operating system of the AGE-1 requires your full attention Sir."

"I'm returning to my cabin for a while," Flit growled, knocking Haro away.

"I see," Haro said to itself as Flit exited, "Then I guess that means I can reconfigure it to my specifications," its eyes lit up.

* * *

Flit found his room occupied by not only Kannas but Lieutenant Ewen Winter as well, both mulling over a computer screen.

"Flit, you're just in time," Ewen said, gesturing for Flit to join them. "Woolf refuses to take on the responsibility, so we're going to head to the simulator and run through some battle tactics. Running off by ourselves without a cohesive strategy makes our team dysfunctional. That can lead to deaths and I don't think we want another Siarle."

"Will there be a replacement member?" Flit asked, wincing at the cold, calculating sound of the phrase.

"No," Ewen said with no small degree of relief in his voice. "We have added a few more pilots to the _Diva's _roster, but our squadron will remain untouched until we can actually work together." Ewen folded a notebook and sat up, keying off the computer. "So, time to hit the simulator."

"I was hoping to remain alone for a bit," Flit said, rubbing the side of his head. "That Veinidorr pilot did a number on me."

"Rest can wait," Ewen said sternly, "these simulations are designed specifically so machines like the Veinidorr won't _put _a number on you. Now let's go." He opened the door, where Nova Omusa stood waiting, arms wrapped around her shoulders as she floated passively.

"Are you ready?" She asked as Ewen floated out.

"Flit is being stubborn," Ewen said, turning to glare at Flit, who remained floating inside the cabin.

"It's better if we follow orders," Kannas said to Flit.

"Is that what the Yellow Shirt's said in excuse?" Flit asked.

"What does that have to do with this?" Ewen asked in bewilderment. Nova just frowned and stared at Flit pensively.

"You're not rethinking you made a mistake as a pilot are you?" Kannas asked. "I heard you tell Milias the pilot of the Veinidorr spoke to you, does this have to do with that? Are you thinking perhaps we are in the wrong?"

"Why would I think that?" Flit snapped angrily.

"I-I was just wondering, because you seem so troubled," Kannas stammered, pushing off toward the door.

Flit stared at the floor for a few angry moments, and then pushed off after his teammates.

* * *

**The Moon, Valkyrie subterranean base**

Largan kept his breathing steady as he stared into the tunnel, a dark void save for that lava river trickling along its black bottom.

"This is such a drag," Mhatt Oliver said irritably inside his Jackedge, which stood next to Largan's. "That Feddie ship hasn't moved either."

"They probably have someone still inside. I hope that doesn't mean Grodek is in danger."

"You worry too much," Mhatt warned. "I bet they think if they stay still, we won't notice they are here. Not gonna work," He swung around toward the ship, raising his rifle.

"What are you doing?" Demanded Largan, reaching out his Jackedge's hand to grab the other machine's shoulder. "We weren't given orders to shoot."

"We give ourselves our own orders," replied Mhatt with a sneer. "Don't give me your military nonsense." His Jackedge started forward. "Those Vagans won't be back. Let's skip watchdog duty and have some fun." He raised the rifle again at the ship's bridge and opened fire.

* * *

Still inside the control room, Ract and Grodek kneeled over the form of Simba Tapiwa, who refused treatment of any kind. "Don't trouble yourselves over an old man," Simba rasped, "I suspected this is what she would do. My usefulness is near an end. This old body couldn't pull out of a wound like this," he gripped his stomach painfully, straining to speak.

"At least let us patch the injury," Grodek insisted.

"And suffer longer? No. My duty isn't done, I have to entrust it to people who can still move." He looked up beseechingly at Grodek, lips moving to form words. "You were supposed to be dead. Why?"

"I have plans that required me to be free of a Federation jail cell," Grodek replied.

Simba closed his eyes. "I don't know what would happen exactly, but you must do something, Grodek Ainoa. You are the one who set the gears moving and woke up this old man. Please, become the leader of the Earth Sphere"-he reached a trembling hand out to Grodek, who took it in both hands. "Won't you do this, for the people of the Federation? I have no one else I know who can..."

Grodek frowned. "I will not. The Federation is an evil in my eyes. The reason I disappeared is so I could put a stop to it as much as I wanted to destroy the UE."

Simba closed his eyes for a moment, then groaned and pointed toward one of the control stations. "It's still here, she says. Destroy that at least, Grodek Ainoa, please. I can't"—Grodek placed the old man's hand on his chest and stood. After a moment he found the right console and booted it up.

"The Voodoo Doll System," Grodek said. "The terraformer here manipulates the one placed on Mars like a controller. But this computer core is desperately inefficient at processing the basic commands. No wonder it caused such destruction here."

"I bet it simulated the same effects to a lesser extent on the Moon as it does at Mars, but because of the core it malfunctioned and went all out," Ract supplied.

"Diabollical," Simba said from where he lay. "Jasmine must be stopped. Fondor will listen to her. Amadis, get out of here," the old man said, talking to himself. He continued to groan there for several minutes, then seemed to grow still. After a moment, his broad, flat chest finally fell for the last time and he was gone.

* * *

Amadis Largo yelled in surprise as the bridge rattled under a powerful beam blast. He looked up to find several pirate mobile suits from the black _Darwin Stealth _approaching, their rifles glowing as they prepared for another shot.

"Take us out," Largo commanded, grinding his teeth in frustration.

As the helmsman obeyed, Amadis looked back at the half-collapsed building that marked the entrance to Valkyrie. _I'm sorry Simba, we ran out of time._

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

"No one ever appreciates me," Haro muttered to himself as he sat beneath the pilot's seat in the cockpit of Flit's AGE-1 one. "Milias probably lets _her _Haro unit fix the OS." Haro paused. But he wasn't like other Haro units, was he? He waited for a moment, thinking that perhaps Grodek would give him a new command, now that he was inside the Gundam with Flit out of the way. For some reason, the Master had been silent over the past couple days. Haro flopped his ears in a shrug and continued the work. Flit was no OS manager, that was for sure.

"How does he even keep his fingers in two places at once?" Haro asked incredulously. "I'm surprised the Gundam's left foot doesn't start wriggling when he hits the thrusters. And the manipulator controls are utterly incomprehensible." He mechanically sniffed. They broke every logical recommendation the internal protocol inside his processor had to offer. "And it is designed to work without my copiloting abilities." Haro fumed angrily. "Unforgivable!"

Suddenly a command came through for the door to open from the outside hatch. Haro authorized it when the computer questioned if it was okay. Probably Flit returning to work on the OS after all.

Instead, a man Haro did not recognize in the crew manifest appeared in the open hatch. Sensing something was amiss, Haro hopped up onto the control board and deployed his manipulator claws, grabbing the AGE-device and placing inside his storage compartment, thankfully empty of its usual tools. The man frowned and crawled inside. "Give the AGE device to me, Ensign Asuno wants it to be maintenanced."

"That is a lie." Haro retorted, "what is your name and rank?"

The orange haired man frowned in slight confusion at Haro's unusually high voice. The HARO units all had deeper, more mechanical voice modes. "Assistant Mechanic Dunlap. This is an order from Chief Dyson."

"Your face does not match the description for Billy Dunlap," Haro said contemptuously. "You are an unauthorized stowaway!" He activated his warning siren to alert the hanger of this present threat.

The intruder lunged forward, grabbing Haro, "I want that device," he snarled desperately.

"Grrrrrrr. NO!" Haro shouted, biting the man's hand. The intruder cursed in rage and flung the green sphere into pilot's seat. "Back off!" Haro deployed his manipulator claws from behind his ear flaps, activating the fusion cutters as he waved the limbs menacingly.

With another series of terrible words, the intruder dashed outside of the cockpit. Unfortunately, instead of simply running and getting caught by the curious onlookers, he began to yell about an intruder and started down the catwalk at a jog, playing the part of a helpful mechanic. At his order, most of those within earshot made for the AGE-1, where Haro sat fuming, wishing he could override his protocol commands to stay within the AGE-1.

"Idiots!" He snapped angrily, still waving his worker arms, "That was the intruder! After him! And contact Ensign Asuno, he must be informed of this!"

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon, control center**

They appeared that evening, a fleet of ten ships, all blue-hulled with glowing beacon lights along their sides. With most of their camera monitors yet unrepaired, the first to spot the mystery fleet was a series of scouts in normal suits. Before they could return however, an emissary dispatched from the ships in a shuttle and offered up several Vagans picked up from Ambat of all places.

Zoroaster Zara was certain this was a good turn of events. These were the mysterious ships Yark Dole Briar half-humouredly called Unknown Enemies. Zara himself welcomed the pilots home, one of which was a capable rookie named Zanald Beiheart. Upon learning about the disaster, most of these pilots opted to enter cold sleep until a more secure time, and since they had been decommissioned from military duty on the grounds they were dead anyway, Zara saw no reason in denying their request. Besides, they would theoretically get their two rank promotions if they rejoined, and he didn't want to do that.

Then he was contacted by the Emissary, not allowed to meet in person, but hailed from a transmission in the moon colony's control room. Zara placed on the commander's mask to appear more impressive, and stepped forward.

The other man was indeed human, but _very _pale, as if paste spread over the white bone beneath. The Emissary had flashing, dark blue eyes that were almost black, with deep blue hair done up in a long tail that fell well beneath his waist and was braided in the center with strange black beads and strands of thread. His suit was regally shaped, with shoulder guards like armor, smooth and made of grey metal. His ash colored shirt had what Zara felt were actual diamonds for buttons, and his belt was blue with a grey buckle. His black pants stood out in stark contrast against the silver background of his trench coat, which started at the belt and fell to his knees.

"I am Sinfreid Ogal, Expeditionary fleet commander of the Sarapin Collective Systems. We are currently seeking refuge here after our long-term reconnaissance of the Earth Sphere. Angra Zenon targeted us as threats."

"Understandable," Zara said. He cleared his throat, putting one hand behind his back before the other joined it. "I am Zoroaster Zara, High Priest of Vega's Temple of Fire. The Supreme Overlord is indisposed at this time, I am the current Steward in charge of our affairs. May I ask from which planet you hail? We were unaware of anyone outside Jupiter existed."

"We survived the purge of technology," Sinfreid said with an unreadable face. "I am an Atlantian, from Neptune. We are detecting high levels of radiation and magnetic disturbance from Mars' surface. Is the Sphere stable?"

"Not entirely," Zara admitted. He decided to make a dangerous bet. If these people had managed to exist without detection for so long, and had a way of moving safely through the belt, they could undoubtedly help the people of Vagan, "During this crisis," Zara explained.

Sinfreid scowled as he seemed to consider it, then shook his head. "We came to return what belongs to you and escape the Angra Zenon. When it departs, we will leave. It is our policy not to involve ourselves directly with the other planets, especially now that you are engaged in a war. We have interest in its outcome, when we are ready to offer something of value, we will contact you. Please respect our force as it waits Angra Zenon's departure."

With that, Sinfreid cut the transmission, leaving Zara to seethe behind the mask. These Atlantians were cold-hearted. If the crisis Vagan was facing did not move them, it was best if he didn't threaten or offend them during their stay. After all, who knew what might happen if they decided to intervene. Zara clasped his hands behind his back and paced about the room, growing more agitated by the second. This was a dangerous development, and he had to tread cautiously, lest it end in disaster. Vagan was his, and he would not see it crumble before his eyes.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, the **_**Diva**_

Flit groaned in agitation as he finally stepped out of the simulation pod.

"You didn't disengage the simulator," Lilly's voice called, the combat simulation computer chided. A white Haro with a glowing red mooneye camera popped out of a bowl-shaped recharge socket by the programming room and sailed over to him. "Please return to the pod, it is against procedure, you could have been hurt had I not stopped the other simulation chambers."

As if to prove her point, one of the pods darted toward him, but slowed and stopped just in front of Flit's legs. The other pilots hopped out of their simulators one by one, all looking a bit angry at having their mock battles cut short in the middle of the fray.

Woolf and Ewen charged up first, both giving Flit terrible glares.

"I wouldn't want to be in _your_ shoes right now," Lilly said in her uppity, lilting accent. The Haro drone moved back and touched down in its socket, where it watched from a safe distance.

Woolf reached him first and put a hand to Flit's chest, pinning him against the wall. The white haired man drifted back, stopping against the simulator pod. "Start giving me explanations. Why did you stop without telling us? And why are you in the middle of some kind of private angst party?" Woolf jabbed an accusing finger, eyebrows arched. "And I'll know if you're lying, I can get Milias to sense it for me."

"I don't know if I can sense him if he blocks me," Milias said, floating up beside Woolf, putting a hand on the pod to stop herself.

"Lilly was right when she said it was dangerous," Nova added, coming to rest atop the simulator pod, resting on her elbows casually, her face concerned. "At the level we were practicing, you could have been crushed, even in zero g."

Kannas floated over against the wall frowning. "I wanted to keep going, I need the practice." He complained. "We only simulated one battle with the Starks. If that Veinidorr is so tough, we are going to be in trouble."

"I got word someone tried to steal the AGE device," Flit said. "I have to go."

"That's no excuse for this," Ewen said, finally erupting, throwing up his hands. "You're not some adventurer on the _Diva _anymore, you have other people to look out for: us. You can't go running off whenever it suits you!"

"It's this type of behavior that led Ewen organize this training session," Nova said.

"I was about to say that too. You cannot go running off on your own," Woolf agreed, crossing his arms, then putting them in his pockets as Milias elbowed him in the shoulder.

"You're not one to judge on that," Milias teased, trying to draw fire away from Flit, "Wasn't it you who disappeared to go fight whenever you wanted when Siarle was killed?"

"That isn't the issue," Ewen said, taking up for Woolf.

"It's time for me to go," Flit said, "I need to check on the Gundam."

"Security will handle that," Ewen said with a sweep of his arm. He seemed to calm down a bit. "Let's all get back and start over in the simulator. We can focus on fighting the combat data we have on the Veinidorr."

"Wait, the Gundam is my machine. My responsibilities to it-

-Your responsibilities are to _us!_" Ewen said, raising his voice almost to a shout. "Chiefs Engineer Vargas and Mechanic Dique are the ones ultimately responsible. The pilot only tends to his machine when his other duties to his squadron are not pressing on his schedule."

"_Dique _and _Vargas _did not create the AGE-1 or its components," Flit said calmly, narrowing his eyes. "I can't trust them to take care of my creations competently."

"Flit!" Milias cried in surprise, her face twisting into an angry glower, "Vargas has helped you for years. You shouldn't talk about him like that. He practically trained you by himself."

"I'm willing to put this behind us," Woolf said after a moment of holding his head in his palm. He combed back his white hair, "If you calm down and get back into the sims. You're getting angsty over something, but that can wait. I'm not a teamwork guy, but you are going to be so long as you are with us, so let's get back to work." He clapped his hands. "Argument over, this is an order."

Flit's knuckles turned white as he clinched them, eyes blazing. "I'm not a puppet for you to boss around, Woolf! And what do I need to be part of a team for?"

"To survive!" Nova shouted, her usually calm face turning into a frown, her eyes hard. Ewen and Woolf closed their mouths, surprised at the quiet woman's outburst. "I protect you on the battlefield because you are a valued member of our crew. That is how a ship is supposed to work. We are all a family in our own way, and look after each other. It may not have hurt you, but someone's death will hurt someone else on this ship. His mechanic, Billy had to be transferred to another vessel because of the stress."

Flit had heard enough. What did they know about responsibility, or losing someone? "I'm not responsible for what anyone feels! I'm a pilot, and I'm here to kill the Vagan, not keep my fellow soldiers safe. I'm not upset over anyone's death, and I won't be even if all of you _Die in the next battle_! It doesn't _bother _me. What _bothers _me is the people I HAVEN'T saved! And the people standing in my way from killing them, like some thief or the Veinidorr!" With that outburst of fury he spun around and wire-gunned himself toward the exit door, which slid open noiselessly and closed behind him as he disappeared around the corner.

"Talking didn't work, it's time for some corrections," Ewen said, punching his fist into his open palm. "He must not have gotten enough of it at Maximus."

"I'd like to beat some of him myself. Ewen, add a few slaps for my sake," Nova said, her eyes half open.

"I can't believe he said all that," Milias muttered to herself. "He's definitely carrying some baggage. He rushed into all this too early."

"Staying at school with a bunch of bratty rich kids isn't gonna help," Woolf said, his own eyes sparkling dangerously. "But a few good corrections would. Come on Ewen." The two officers started for the door, but to their surprise, Kannas blocked their path and spread his arms. "Move aside kid, I don't have a bone to pick with you...yet," Woolf warned.

"Please, he is obviously upset about Siarle's death. He was with him when he died and trained with him at the academy. Even if he didn't invest a lot of time in their relationship, losing a familiar comrade like that still affects him. We shouldn't antagonize him over his responsibility to watch our backs, he knows that. Just give him some time to cool down, please."

"You forgot to add Sir," Ewen said with a frown.

"Whatever," Woolf said, glaring at Kannas. "I guess the brig is what he needs then."

* * *

"I hope the admirals know what they're doing," Adams said, watching as the fleets reorganized themselves. Six hundred and forty five _Darwin _class battleships, the _Diva, _and its newly arrived sister ship, the _Deva_. Rumor had it that some unknown Federation entity had actually gone so far as to commission Techno Solon and Orangegrape Industrial to manufacture more of the _Diva _class at the Forge Zone, and that many mobile suit reinforcements were already on the way in rendezvous with the fleets.

But would they make it in time? Adams watched from his cabin's desktop computer as a live feed showed Fardain descending from its orbit around the Moon. The Vagans had already launched several ships with large, crystal-shaped objects that must be bases or their prefabricated material cargo ships. Now the enemy was preparing to arrive at Tycho crater.

The Fortification of the lunar surface had begun.

* * *

**The Moon, Fardain, above Tycho Crater Lake**

"If this does not work, I will be the first commander to plunge _my own fortress…_into a lake of molten lava."

An Grams paused to let that sink in.

Medel Zant shifted uncomfortably on the other end of An Grams' desk. "Sir, about the enemy fleet movements..."

"Hm, what about them? They're attacking the outpost carriers just as I hoped. That was a nice addition to our plan, by the way, creating decoys for the enemy to follow. It nullifies the fact that we are reducing our forces because theirs will be reduced as well."

"Thank you Lord Grams, but it was really nothing," the boy said sheepishly.

_Really nothing he says. Hah! I never would have guessed that was their ultimate plan. And I would have sent out the _Real _base planting taskforce had he not suggested the decoys. _"Well, you still have a lot to learn, but I have great hopes for you some day, Zant." He leaned forward, his voice dropping its praise, "Now what about these fleet movements?"

"I don't know, I just have a feeling they are preparing for an attack. Even though they know they do not have any real chance of success. Perhaps they wish to dump Fardain into the lava lake?"

"Maybe," An Grams muttered. "And perhaps the sudden eruptions were their doing and they can control them." He scowled. "Now there's a scary thought."

"I doubt it, Supreme Commander," Zant said, obviously trying to sound as if An Grams knew better. "The behavior of their scouting parties proves otherwise. And they destroyed their own bases and opened the Moon for us to capture, hardly a move they would allow if this were all pre-planned."

"Indeed," An Grams said. "I just hope the shield generators work as the specifications demand." After all, they had not actually been tested properly, so this would litterally be a trial by fire.

* * *

"Open up," a voice yelled in tandem with a series of sharp raps on the door.

"Go Away!" Shouted Mink, hugging her knees as she sat on the floor, wishing she could sneak into the gravity control room and shut off whatever wacko techno magic kept her PINNED TO THE FLOOR. She hated it. AT least this trapped feeling melted away inside her Gafran.

"It's Telemari! Open this door or I'll—I'll throw you in the brig and let you sulk in there instead of here!"

"Good! I was complaining about the lack of zero gravity," Mink mocked her.

"Is this about Frost? He won't open his door either. If you don't I'll throw him in with you and let you both talk it out while the rest of us fight."

That got a reaction. "Fine," Mink muttered, "no need to get dirty about it." She stood and stomped on every last bit of that annoying gravity ridden floor to the door and opened it up.

Telemari Agori stood on the other end, arms folded and a frown plastered on her pale face, long brown hair done up in a bun so the helmet attached to the back of her pilot's suit would fit.

"What do you want?" Mink demanded, one arm on the door to slide it shut again if the urge overwhelmed her malnourished willpower.

"Mink, _what happened_ to you?"

Mink stood before her with her usually straight, white blonde hair disheveled, staring up at Telemari with eyes rimmed by dark circles almost black as night.

Telemari couldn't resist a chuckle. "Why, you look like a raccoon. Haven't you slept?"

"No."

"You haven't taken a bath either," Telemari said with a scowl.

"It's not funny!" Mink snapped, whirling around.

Telemari stopped the door with her foot and stepped inside after the retreating Mink. "Forgive me for desecrating your 'lair', but you and I need to have a talk."

"I don't want to talk," Mink retorted, sitting down on her bed, darkened eyes scowling at Telemari as the older woman moved toward the small bathroom, rummaging about until she returned with a comb.

"Here, I'll sit here and comb your hair, and you can tell me what in the world has gotten into you."

"I'm not going to talk." Mink said simply.

"It's either me or a priest, and they're version of help is to have you chant your brain away until you can't remember who you are."

Mink folded her arms and said nothing, but didn't stop Telemari as she began to comb.

"Oh come on, you silly _Raccoon_," Telemari said, gently shaking Telemari's head.

"Don't call me that! I'm not a raccoon! Never call me that again!"

"Why not? Raccoons are cute too."

"No, they're snobby and get in the way and ruin picture books."

"What?" Telemari shook her head and avoided that rabbit trail. "Now," she continued combing the tangled mess of hair, straightening it out again.

"Ouch," Mink complained as a curl snagged the comb. "That hurts."

"That is why you should _wash _your hair," Telemari said. "Did Frost and you have a spat?"

"You sound like he likes me."

"Does he?"

"If he did, I'd bite his dick off," Mink said simply, showing her teeth.

"I bet you would," Telemari said, stabbing her finger at Mink, who bit at it playfully. "I guess I don't have to worry about your rooms being side-by-side."

"Neither should the quartermaster."

"True. So he said something to you?"

"No," Mink lied.

"I know you were upset. He tried to comfort you and it backfired, right?"

"He doesn't care enough to try sappytalk."

"Well," Telemari said with a grin, "You two _are _pretty close. He's your wingmate after all. I'm sure he cares, even if he's goofy and doesn't know how to express himself well."

"Yeah," Mink said, "He is sorta goofy, not like me. I'm a fighter."

"More like a tiger, considering how _ferocious _you are," chuckled Telemari. She put a hand to her mouth and looked at Mink, "Oh, sorry. Are tigers ok?"

"They're fine, and kinda cute. But not cute like cats," Mink said kicking her legs lazily. "Tigers are pretty."

"I think you're pretty," Telemari said.

"You're sweet talking me."

"I know, I think everyone could use some," Telemari said. "And you know, my name is sort-of like calamari, so that makes me like a squid, doesn't it?"

Mink stared at her as if she had actually grown a tentacle in question. "No. What does your name have to do with an animal?"

Telemari shrugged and looked up at the ceiling, as if asking for guidance. "Well, nevermind. I got teased a lot about when I was your age, so I know what it feels like to have people laugh at you for your name."

"People laugh at my name!?" Mink yelled, spinning around to face Telemari.

"Not when you can hear," Telemari assured her. "You inspire too much fear."

"As it should be." Mink turned back to hide her smug smile of satisfaction. "They're scared."

"And you're more scary in a mobile suit," Telemari said.

"No, I'm not going out. Everyone thinks I don't have what it takes."

"I beg your pardon? You got a kill last time you went out, not Frost. Not Martha. Not Zant. You, Mink, are a vicious beast."

"Yeah, well, it comes with the brain cells," Mink tapped the back of her head. "X-Region. Xstream skillz."

"And vicious beasts don't mope in their lairs just because an emo prettyboy yelled at her."

"Well, he said things he shouldn't," Mink said, baring her fangs in what looked like anger, though she was fighting the urge to cry.

"I know he's probably feeling the same things you are, sometimes people yell at others about their own faults."

"No, he just thinks I'm not good enough."

"What do you mean? We just affirmed your awesomeness as a pilot."

"He said I'm just a girl with an animal fetish," Mink said, throwing out her hands as if the very idea were inconceivable.

"I see." Telemari got up and went to the bathroom. She returned with a warm, damp washcloth. "So he said he has what it takes to be a pilot?"

"Yeah," Mink said slowly, as if it were a sad thing.

"What is it that drives him?"

"I'm not sure I should tell. It's personal."

"Well," Telemari said, sitting down on the floor in front of her. She took the cloth and dabbed at Mink's face. "I don't know about that, if he told you. He should tell me, because I have to talk to him afterword too. This kind of behavior isn't accepted. I don't want a priest getting to him and turning him into one of their X-Rounder slaves."

"He should go quote some mantra, I'd like to see that," Mink said. She paused for a moment, considering. "He said his sister needs to live on Earth. So he wants to bring her here when the fighting is done."

"That's a good reason," Telemari said, dabbing away at Mink's forehead.

"No it isn't."

The change in tone was abrupt enough for Telemari to see the warning sign behind the words. Asking would probably result her getting expulsed from the room. "Ok, he doesn't. But I see you do, so I think you should fight today."

"I will," Mink said, her voice conversational again.

"Good, because I was worried about going out alone without backup."

"You were afraid?" Mink asked. "But you're a vet."

"Yeah well it happens I get scared of fighting in combat when I have novices to babysit, like Zant and Martha. It helps to have someone like you who can do their job."

"Glad to hear it," Mink said with a smile.

"But that is absolutely no excuse to not take a bath," Telemari said, standing up, hands on her hips. "I'm going to deal with Frost. Go and get cleaned up and be ready to head out when the order is given."

"Alright," Mink said. "But I like the smell."

"You _like _it?" Telemari turned away and shivered.

Mink's eyes almost shut as she grinned nastily at the door. "Weasels and other Mink-related rodents kill their prey and stuff the corpses in their burrows. It smells. I tell that to everyone when they ask about the smell in the doorway."

"I doubt that works, you're not a real Mink." Telemari said, although she looked supremely disturbed.

"Keeps Zant and Martha out," Mink said with a shrug. "And Frost."

Telemari exited the room and closed it with a sigh. Her job was done for the moment, now to move on to the next kid. Really, these children were too young to be out on the battlefield. Her conversation with Mink played over in her mind as she rapped on Frost's door. Then again, it looked like Mink had taken more in her short childhood than most did in a lifetime. And she could fight too. That was enough for Telemari, so long as the child didn't pout in her room like a four year-old when the actual battles started.

* * *

**Valkyrie subterranean base**

"I can't believe they got away," growled Mhatt Oliver inside his Jackedge, the skullfaced G-Exes turned its murderous face toward Largan's own machine and lit up its eyes. "You're gonna pay for that, Drace."

"Our orders were to stay here until the landing party returns, not attack helpless cruisers that probably don't hold anything of worth." Largan Drace retorted simply.

The Jackedge stopped and suddenly whipped out its beam saber. Mhatt's voice dropped several octaves. "I don't know what you _were, _but I know what you _are now, _Drace. I'm a Hound of Bisidian. I get to do what I like. When I like. Angrazzo didn't get the captainship because he's better than me, it's because the old captain's wife has a thing for him. Wilma Nightflare ain't here, and Angrazzo's gone off and gotten softened up by his whore Ract gave to him."

"You mean Iris-

-Yeah. So listen," Mhatt took a step forward in his machine. "I don't like the captain, and I don't have to follow what he says. Nike's cool, but he's a pussy at heart too. And I see you're not much different. So it's time to teach you a lesson"-the Jackedge lunged forward, slashing wildly like a crazed animal, cutting away Largan's Jackedge's left arm and right shoulder armor before he gained distance enough to draw his own saber and block the ruthless onslaught.

-"I'm a Hound with Fangs," Mhatt growled, his voice deep like a wolf's. He swung Largan's saber back and drew up his gun, firing the beam into the earth right where the other G-Exes had been an instant before. Largan touched down a few feet away, sweat beading on his brow. "And this is how we determine top dog," Mhatt lunged, beam saber and bayonet poised for battle.

* * *

"It is still operable," Grodek said slowly, his eyes roving over the command titled, "Voodoo Doll System."

"The password is Mars Birthday," Grodek said with a frown, "we could activate it if we so chose, even from a distance, if I set up the right command string."

"Hold on just one moment," Ract said quickly, taking a step back, his hand dangling close to his pistol. "We were charged with destroying it."

"I don't know how," Grodek replied. "And I don't think we should. This could be the weapon we need to wipe the Vagan race out of existence. Think of the lives we could save if we simply tapped the command key." He did so, and not for demonstration purposes.

"Voodoo Doll System ready," the computer said. "Please confirm password to engage, or use voice signature to bypass security code procedures."

"Stop this at once," Ract said, swinging up the gun from its holster, "What you are doing is no different than what the Vagan and Special Forces did to us."

"I hate them," Grodek said, clinching the desk. "It's a good _clean _way, Ract Elfamel!" Grodek looked down at the floor, refusing to let the hot tears leak out of his eyes. "I don't have to look at them as they die, I don't have to pretend I don't know what I'm doing either. But I can _finish it. _I can rest knowing I won't have to watch them do what they did all over again."

"And how does that stop Fondor? Or Luli Jasmine?" Demanded Ract. "What would people think of you if they heard Grodek Ainoa committed Genocide for his own sake."

"I'm not doing this because I want revenge," Grodek said, his voice wavering with emotion. He set his teeth together as the temptation grew. "I can save so many. This is a war I predict will not go so smoothly. We did to them what was done to me. Don't you see how many of them there might be out there? That little boy…" His voice broke and he hung his head, pressing his hands against the console, which actually started listing on the cracked, uneven surface of the command center. A light overhead began to flicker. "I killed his soul."

"I know what you are saying, but this is not the time to play tragic hero. Remember what this did just days ago?" Ract pointed at the floor. "Remember that the computers aren't strong enough to regulate this. That thing they have buried underground is _not _a terraformer and you know it. It's a planetary disassembler, something meant to melt worlds into radioactive slag. You can't possibly know whether or not it could blow apart the Moon or not at this stage."

"I have to take a chance, for the future. I've fallen so far already, so far Airi wouldn't recognize me. I have nothing to lose and everything to give everyone else." He ground his teeth together. "All it takes is a single command."

"Not if they're all dead!" Ract roared in into the side of his face. "Snap out of this Grodek Ainoa! You are a man who saved the Earth Sphere! Not one who destroyed it because you felt obligated to bring a war to a quick end!"

"Mars Birthday."

"Password confirmed. Voodoo Doll System, activated."

* * *

Largan dashed aside as Mhatt's machine rushed in, swiping at his other leg. He sent his Jackedge roaring back, firing blast from his rifle that nearly took off the other machine's head.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Shouted Misty Halavi, dashing up in her Shaldoll Rogue. Mhatt swept in and kicked her back. "Shut it, Bitch. I'm fighting." He spun his machine around, easily blocking Largan's blow.

Largan leapt back and fired off several more shots, but Mhatt easily slalomed through them all and dealt Largan's machine a nasty scrape across its face with his bayonet.

"He's _good._" Largan muttered in growing appreciation. This man was a heartless pirate, but that didn't have anything on his skills.

* * *

"This is too much!" Ract held his gun up to Grodek's temple, breathing hard. "I am not a man who is called 'good' by many people's standards. Nevertheless, I believe there is a difference between being a schemer, and playing God."

"Awaiting command. Continue with subsurface upheaval?"

"No," Grodek said, not flinching as Ract put pressure on the trigger, almost shooting him.

"Ract Elfamel, were you to shoot me now, it would most likely only take out my eyes and not pierce any cerebral portions, barring bone fragments. You may want to move it a little to the right."

As Ract did so, Grodek's hand moved like a viper's, clamping down on the arm and easily ripping the gun from the other man's grasp. Grodek tossed it to the far corner of the room, where it slowly fell and landed beside a small fissure.

Meanwhile, Grodek's own gun flew up into Ract's startled face, right between his eyes. "My target however, will bless you with a third eye, should you survive a bullet through your brain," Grodek said.

"You're better than this," Ract said. "This is a gamble you do not have the knowledge to make."

"I predict the chances of success will increase by 40% should I install my own program, which I have on hand. That way, we have a high probability of successfully _freezing _the Moon's surface, if not the core, rather than blowing it apart."

"So it's a gamble. I thought you said you never took a gamble."

Grodek stared at him unblinking, eye steady. Then he finally turned away and brought his gun down to his side. "But what will I do with myself if I pass up this chance?" He hung his head again.

"If it is to feel better, than I doubt it will help. Is it FOR THEM? For Flit Asuno, for me, for your dead family? Or is it FOR YOU?!"

Grodek shook his head, Emily Amonde's accusing face staring into his. He had taken Flit and twisted him into a weapon. He had killed Geera Zoi and left that child in the same cycle he himself was in. There were two ways to break that cycle. One with forgiveness.

The other with hate.

He stared down at the computer screen that offered him the ultimate means to fulfill that second choice.

* * *

Nike Kingsland turned a corner to find that once again a dead end barred his way. He didn't know quite what to do now. Ract had warned him and Angrazzo that Jasmine was escaping, but he didn't know for sure what route she had taken. They were all barred, at least the ones he knew of. Curse the vixen. He saw no sign of his old flame anywhere, so he supposed Lumia Tarragon had decided to leave with _her_ and abandon the fighter, which was wise of Lumia, because Nike had taken _extreme _pleasure of burning it to stray particles with his saber before entering the base.

"Nike! Where are you?" Angrazzo Lambro's voice snapped over the comm.

"Here," Nike said into his earpiece. "Trouble?"

"Mhatt's causing some ruckus. Ginger was screaming all about how he's gone berserk on the Drace guy. You're closer, so you go and deal with him."

"Going," Nike said, taking off down the hall in what probably looked like a comical imitation of a Kangaroo. "But you know, Ang, he's a Hound. It should be you putting him in his place."

"I can't deal with him now," Angrazzo retorted lamely. "We found some equipment in here to die for, I'm helping it get moved. Besides, we're pretty far into the place and it is a _mess._ I couldn't get there in time."

"I see," Nike glanced at the piles of rubble all around him, as well as a smashed in corridor nearby where a giant piece of rock had sliced out from the wall. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

**Fardain, The **_**Rondo**_

As he sat waiting in the tense, unbearable agony before the plunge into battle, Medel Zant thrummed his fingers against the silent console of his Gafran. He would let the other pilots do as they wished. The two X-Rounders were duds and not worth it, and that Angelo Enreze was a mystery to him, in actions and words. He wanted that Gundam, it would elevate him to a position where he could actually _do _something. He stopped for a moment. Wait a minute. X-Rounders were highly emotional….

He grinned. That pilot Flit Asuno was just a teenager like him, from what he had seen in the auxiliary screen. "I'll bet he's got some demons." Zant smiled, if Mink and Frost were any indication of what happened to an X-Rounder when they got mad, he had a pretty good idea on how to take that horned machine. The Gundam may be a powerful beast, but its pilot was, as with all mobile suits, the ultimate flaw.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

"Imagine me getting control over the _Deva," _Adalbrecht Diamler said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's almost like magic how things work sometimes," he curled his lock of golden hair. "Though I am irreplaceable."

Watching from the overhanging viewscreen, Adams scowled back. "Don't get smug, it could cost you."

"I know. We have no time to chat, the battle is already under way."

"Of course, my mobile suits are already launching," Adams said with a curt nod as the screen went blank. "Get our anti-MS batteries ready. All power to the ventral cannons, firing on my mark. Prepare the missiles as well. Pick targets in conjunction with the other ships."

"Milias Alloy, in Gundead unit II, Launching!"

"Milias, I want you to provide support for the _Deva _for now. We will be charging in hot, so stay close and don't get left behind."

"Just watch yourself, Adams," Milias said, her voice warm enough to show she was not wholly serious. "Let's show them what the Ghosts of Nora can do."

* * *

"I've found you!"

Flit Asuno hurtled through a storm of firepower thrown up by the guns from the pack of _Fa Raza _circling like protective bats around the copper cylinder of Fardain, which was glowing red and gold as it hovered over the blindingly hot lake of fire, Tycho Crater. The whole of the enemy host literally rippled from the intense heat shimmers, while the Federation Fleet poured through a veil of clouds made of the vapor trailing quickly off the Moon's surface as it rotated the Earth.

At the sound of the voice, he looked to find a Gafran soaring up to meet him, beam saber raised. Flit activated the Reiber and plunged it at the enemy's torso. But the Gafran nimbly spun out of the way.

"Won't beat me like that!" Medel Zant yelled with a short laugh, slashing wildly as the Starks Gundam parried the blows with its spear, then blocked a tail sword slash with its shoulder binders. In a sudden, almost instant eruption of white exhaust, Flit sent the Starks roaring back, opened the shoulder binders, and unleashed a wave of missiles.

"If you think you can take me, you're mistaken," Flit said almost to himself, bending down low over the controls like a beast waiting to pounce. "I'm in no mood to toy with cannon fodder."

"Oh I'm no grunt," Zant laughed. "Here, let me prove it!" With a roar, the Gafran transformed into its mobile armor mode and dashed forward, its beam machineguns blowing the missiles out of the sky as it dashed headlong toward the waiting Starks.

* * *

The Gundead moved down fifty meters directly beneath the prow of the _Deva _as it unleashed one salvo of beam fire after the other. The largest of the weapons platforms rose up, the one that had what appeared to be some kind of beam railgun on all three of its binders. Milias set her teeth together so they wouldn't chatter and aimed the DODS bazooka. Light welled up around the barrel opening, then a brilliant burst of light later the swirling energy ball shot down into the platform as it charged up all three of its railgun cannons. The blast struck between the central body's core between its three beam canons. Belching flame, the platform's aim was redirected. The railgun shots, sparking masses of light, flew from the binders and struck a group of _Darwins _just left of the _Deva. _The first three ships were vaporized instantly, the shots passing through and striking two more. These disappeared instantly into a million bright fragments, showering the other battleships around them. Milias watched in horror as nearly eight ships disappeared in a violent, thunderous explosion.

"I have to destroy that thing," she muttered, even the _Deva's _comm. operator screamed in her ear to do just that. Milias silenced the woman. "Definitely could use some pointers," she said, aiming her bazooka again, this time concentrating on the right binder rather than the main body. The binders were already charged again, and unleashed a second volley, but also with added support from the three beam cannons. The railgun blasts devastated yet another formation, this one beneath and behind the leading _Diva _class ships. Dodging beam fire as the cannons trained on her and the approaching _Deva__, _Milias launched her bazooka round, striking the right binder just as it prepared to fire a third time. Milias snapped her eyes shut and sent the Gundead into a barrelroll. The blinding flash faded away, replaced by a storm of shrapnel. Milias wove out of the blaze and found herself far ahead and to the far left of the _Deva _and _Diva. _She cursed and swung her bazooka about and reduced a smaller platform to a pile of smoldering rubble.

There was that clicking in her mind, as distinct as Flit had described it to her. Milias silenced it quickly with burst of willpower. She scanned the battlefield, dodging and weaving. She spotted her grey green target, plugged the charger on the Gundam's left forearm into the bazooka's outlet and fired a series of three consecutive blasts. The Veinidorr weaved through each one easily, then came up with a flash as it transformed to mobile suit mode and activated that giant beam sword.

"You're that new one that got in the way last time!" The pilot called, his face appearing on Milias' chat screen, his face twisted in a half-crazed grin inside a glowing blue cockpit, silver wires enveloping his head.

Repulsed, Milias keyed off the image and fired again, but the Veinidorr dodged the shot and came in with a furious thrust. "What are you?!" Milias cried, boosting aside as the enemy came in for another swipe. She unplugged the charger and unleashed a stream of plasma, like an electrically charged blue spray. The Veinidorr shuddered and blasted back like a comet, its front torso and chest seared black.

"Got plasma too huh?" Angelo Enreze laughed. "Fine. Two can play at that!"

Milias fired another bazooka shot at the Veinidorr as it raised its own rifle and unleashed a pulsing teal blue plasma blast.

With a flash, seven missiles launched from the Vagan machine's binders and sailed in. Milias unleashed a torrent of her own from the pods on the Gundead's back and legs, and dashed in close, plasmathrower at the ready. The Veinidorr's diamond-shaped visor line lit with a cyan flash. It raised its beam sword and charged swinging as the missiles danced around them in a frenzy.

* * *

Flit felt a familiar pulse, followed by a vision of Milias spinning wildly through a missile swarm. "He got to her before me," Flit muttered, spinning the Starks around toward the direction of the sensation. Somewhere to the left.

"Forgetting I'm here?" Roared Medel Zant, dashing in, beam sabers ignited. Flit parried the blows, but the enemy nearly got a stab through anyway.

"You're good, I'll admit," Flit said, speeding upwards and firing down with the bazooka. Without a power feed charger directly linked to the Gundam's plasma drive, he only had a total of ten shots.

"This makes four," Flit muttered to himself. As expected, the Gafran barely dodged the blast and rushed in, firing with its torso cannon. Flit let the shoulder binders take the shot, then unleashed another missile barrage.

"I really don't have time for this," he growled, sweeping forward, spear extended before the Starks to impale the Gafran.

* * *

**Valkyrie subterranean base**

Largan Drace blocked another vicious saber slash, then drove Mhatt Oliver's Jackedge back with a burst of vulcan fire. The attacks landed on its rifle manipulator and blew it apart. Scowling at the wounded machine, Largan sent the Jackedge screaming forward, beam saber drawn back for a killing stab.

"Stop it!" Ginger's voice called from an approaching Shaldoll Rogue, probably Misty Halavi's. "Don't kill him!"

"What's he to you?" Mhatt growled angrily, nimbly dodging Largan's thrust. "I'm sick and tired of your whining, Ginger. Now all of you back off and let me finish this."

"Enough!" Nike Kingsland's black Jackedge descended with a flash from its mismatching red and orange eyes, landing between the dueling machines.

"Largan, what started this?"

"I stopped him from chasing that cruiser."

Nike was silent for a moment, then looked over Largan's damaged machine. "That suit cost me quite a penny." He turned his attention on the equally battered Jackedge on the other side of his suit. "Mhatt, you're in for it when the Captain gets back."

"Fuck the Captain!" Barked Mhatt, boosting forward with a hiss from his machine's verniers. "I'm going to tear anyone apart who tells me what to do. What's Ang up to anyway? Playing around with his slut."

"Hey, calm down Mhatt," Ginger pleaded. "Ang's a great captain and he wouldn't do something like that on the job!"

"Ever since these new people showed up the ship has been getting real noisy," Mhatt growled, reactivating his Jackedge's orange saber. "I'm not into brats, Ginger. Someone needs to teach you manners!" With a flash the Jackedge darted toward the Rogue. Nike barreled forward, Largan not far behind.

Mhatt sent the blade arcing down toward the hapless Shaldoll Rogue, then suddenly spun around with a diagonal chop at Nike's machine as he rushed in. The two sabers met in a clatter of sparks onto the floor, followed by the sound of screeching metal as Largan's machine landed beside the two and sliced off the other Jackedge's leg.

Both machines crashed to the ground.

"Ran out of propellant at the same time. I am so glad we have identical machines," Largan said with relief, having used the verniers to keep his machine upright without a leg.

"The Captain is going to be very, very mad," Mozart Killisk's voice said over the comm. "I hope you all will join me for tea in the brig later for, 'corrective action'."

* * *

**Fardain**

"It's a spear!" Zant yelled over the comm., slashing the Starks' weapon in question out of the way, moving in for a quick slash with the Gafran's other beam saber. "I can predict how it will be used!"

Flit felt another scream from Milias' presence. She was in severe danger fighting that Veinidorr alone with a Wear meant for artillery support. Rocket engines unleashing a wave of white exhaust Flit sent the Starks hurtling away from the Gafran, which stood in mobile suit mode, one beam saber still ignited.

"You can't run forever on a battlefield," Zant warned.

"Then see if you can keep up," Flit retorted. It's eyes flashing, the dark blue Gundam angled away and darted deeper in the battle.

* * *

Kannas Westmorland shuddered as an entire squad of Genoace disappeared under a combined beam machinegun assault from two Gafrans. A third soared up from a _Fa Raza, _unleashing torso cannon blast that struck a _Darwin _behind Kannas and blew its prow apart.

"Aim for their heads and torso cannons, it's our only chance," Nova yelled as her own brown Genoace flew up beside Kannas, unleashing a blast from the bazooka over its shoulder. Her aim was good, striking the Gafran in the head and throwing it back, where the anti-MS guns on the _Diva _tore it apart with a storm of blazing energy bolts.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

"Give me more cover fire on our right to support Nova," Captain Adams Tinel instructed. "And move us in closer, full speed. That platform is out of the way now." He watched as his ship obediently soared forward, its engines thrumming to life. The _Deva _likewise picked up speed, the two ships now dashing down into the path of a _Fa Raza_. Beyond it, Fardain lumbered even lower toward the lava lake, intent it seemed, on throwing itself inside.

Adams watched in surprise as six separate objects sprouted from its spaceports on both ends. Each one looked like a pair of balls connected by a beam, with one sphere placed inside a socket. Slowly, the devices began to glow with a eerie multicolored light. Moments later, polygonal plates of light appeared over the edges of the devices, creating a shield around the cylender of the colony fortress like a buckeye tube. In a sudden descent, Fardain plunged toward the crater below and disappeared into the lake.

Adams felt his ship shake under a powerful blow, and turned his attention back to the _Fa Raza _passing him for a full broadside.

* * *

The _Diva _and the _Fa Raza _passed so close their sides nearly touched. Firepower erupted from both, pummeling the other with fire. Then the _Diva _angled upward, exposing its underside. The _Fa Raza _took the bait, firing upwards with all its cannons. Then the green-hulled _Deva _dipped below its sister ship and unleashed a full broadside of its own into the preoccupied enemy, striking the turrets in their unprotected undersides, their dark orange oval shields unable to cover them as they pointed upward at the _Diva. _

In a flash the entire side of the _Fa Raza _was covered in glowing wounds where its cannons once rested. A wave of missiles arced in from both ships, racing into the glowing holes. The _Fa Raza _crumbled inward like paper as an explosion tore it apart.

The two ships moved ahead, now in the calm center of the crater. All about them, the _Darwins _swarmed over the _Fa Raza _and defensive platforms. But it was a hollow victory, because somehow the enemy had revealed a way to hide beneath the surface of the molten rock, where no barrage of bean fire could get to it now.

* * *

**Fardain command center**

An Grams watched the barriers flash up around the colony, and felt a chill of fear as the fortress plummeted into the molten rock. According to the schematics of the lake, a subterranean lava flow led from the crater to several others on the other side of the Moon's southern highlands. The perfect route for his ships.

"Have the enemy forces discovered the decoys?"

"Yes Supreme Commander, though the fleet above seems uncertain about this information."

"They won't suspect until it is too late. Tell the base transports to launch immediately. Once they do, deploy the remaining generators. Make certain our forces are inside the barrier's range before bringing it online, I don't want our forces trapped with the enemy."

* * *

**The **_**Rondo**_

"That's the signal," Telemari Agori called into her comm., "we're heading out to cover the retreat, you guys ready."

"I thought you said I could go out and fight! But we've been sitting here twiddling our thumbs!" Mink complained. "What a waste."

"Enough," Dole Frost said, "this is an important mission."

"Like I care how important it is."

The three Gafrans shot from the _Rondo _and angled out toward the battle, which was quickly drawing closer into a bundle as the Vagan forces drew together.

"Keep close and work together," Telemari instructed. "You two can bicker later."

"We weren't bickering," Frost said, somewhat confused. "Were we?"

"Shut up and shoot," Mink said testily, dashing past him in her black and yellow Gafran, tearing apart a pair of Genoace harrying a fellow Vagan suit, the Gafran's wings damaged and its tail a sparking stump.

Telemari looked up toward the incoming horde of Federation vessels. They had so many resources, for every ten Genoace they destroyed, thirty took their place.

* * *

Milias backed up, now closer to the _Diva _ships and hoping to get some cover fire. She fired her bazooka, already knowing it was pointless as the Veinidorr slalomed through a hail of beam fire from the _Darwins, _easily missing the energy ball and coming up on the Gundead with its tonfa blades ready to tear it apart.

Milias threw up a wall of plasma, forcing the Veinidorr to backflip away and unleash a storm of missiles.

"I'm all out," she muttered. "_Diva, _send out the Razor!"

"It's coming," the operator called back. "Launching Amembo now."

"If I can just dock," Milias muttered, moving closer to the _Diva, _which was now throwing up a wave of firepower at the Veinidorr with its anti-MS batteries.

Then the Amembo sailed in, firing its targeting laser. The Gundam angled up with the machine and released the Gundead Wear. A set of robotic arms grabbed the armor and tucked it up on the opposite end of the craft, while another set of arms quickly grabbed the Razor Wear attached to the Amembo's belly and connected them to the Gundam.

"You didn't attack," Milias said, dropping from the support craft as retreated. She brandished the Razor's double-bladed sword and deployed its Mantis claws.

"That's no fare. Besides, that one isn't much threat to me," Angelo Enreze said, activating the Veinidorr's beam sword. The missiles flashed forward, bent on blasting the Razor to atoms.

Then a white and blue blur flashed past, so quick it left afterimages. Angelo turned to see the Starks arc back around, its spear glowing with energy. The Veinidorr blocked with its sword, only for the weapons to clash together. Taking advantage of Angelo's surprise, Flit stepped on the throttle and hurtled both machines down toward the crater. Meanwhile, Milias moved further back, firing her DODS rifle as the missiles continued charging after her.

Then Woolf's G-Exes and Ewen's Shaldoll dropped down, firing their own beam rifles. Ewen launched a round of his own missiles. The combined fire overwhelmed several of the warheads, but three succeeded in dashing up at the mobile suits. Milias screamed as they detonated, covering all three mobile suits in a wave of fire.

* * *

Inside the Starks, Flit felt Milias scream and shook with rage, thrusting madly with the Reiber spear, but to no avail as the Veinidorr nimbly dodged around the stabs.

"Now this is the fight I as waiting for!" Angelo laughed, slashing with his sword to cut the spear in half. Flit kept hold of the shortened weapon, using his machine's shoulder binders to block the Veinidorr as it slashed with both tonfa blades.

"You can't win with just a spear and speed alone," Angelo taunted, kicking the Starks back and firing a burst of missiles from a hidden launcher on its feet.

"It has them all over it!" Flit yelped, rocketing away. He outdistanced the warheads and blew them apart with a salvo of his own. Rushing back, he dodged through a series of beam bolts from several Gafrans as well as a plasma blast from the Veinidorr. The two machines collided again in a flurry of sparks.

Flit grabbed the Veinidorr's arm with one hand, then stowed the Reiber on a hardpoint in the underside of the right shoulder binder. The DODS bazooka on the Gundam's back flipped underneath its arm and into the face of the startled Veinidorr. Flit screamed in triumph as the weapon's nozzle glowed with power. Quick as lightning, the Venidorr slashed with its free arm, cutting off the Stark's left hand at the forearm and rocketed away as the bazooka fired. The blast seared the machine's shoulder armor.

"You're the crazy one!" Angelo Enreze screamed, moving further away from the Starks. "Were you trying to kill yourself too?!"

Flit didn't answer and blasted forward, drawing the Reiber.

"It looks like you found a worthy foe!" A slightly familiar voice called over Flit's comm. Flit looked up in surprise to find a green Gundam descending from above, its golden horns shimmering in the heat of the lake. It fired several shots from its beam rifle, the emerald blasts screwing down in the distinct form of a DODS blast.

Inside the Sylph Gundam, Ivon Alfenoa activated the beam tonfa on the Gundam's wrists, clashing blades with the Veinidorr. He turned to Flit, even as the Sylph drew back to dodge a sweeping slash from the enemy's beam sword.

"That thing's dangerous! It'll cut through your beam weapons!" Flit warned.

"I see," Ivon said conversationally.

"Now there's three of them," Angelo said, his eyes beginning to twitch. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm getting a little annoyed. Stop multiplying!" He dashed forward, the Sylph didn't dodge in time and had its shield sliced in half. Ivon disposed of it before the grenade launcher inside blew apart, and activated the tonfa again, creating a fan of beam energy that blocked a slash from the enemy's own blades.

"Works nearly as good as a shield," Ivon said, "though a bit unstable…"

Flit was about to spear the Reiber at the Veinidorr's back when suddenly a massive object rose up beside them. He turned to find the glowing form of Fardain rising up from the surface of the lake, releasing a constant wave of violet light from panels spaced along its surface, the glowing energy shield disappearing panel by panel.

Flit glanced around, wondering why the enemy fortress had surfaced. Something didn't feel right. His X-Rounder senses were tingling madly, warning him of some impending trap.

"Ivon, let's go. We have to get back to the main force."

"Don't tell me what to do," Ivon retorted amiably, slashing again at the Veinidorr, then darting easily away from a blast of plasma rifle shots. "I'll hold him off while you escape."

Growling with annoyance, Flit took hold of the Sylph and gunned the Starks' thrusters to maximum. The Gundams rocketed up, smashing Flit against the seat until he thought his bones would be crushed.

Behind them, the Veinidorr raised its rifle and took off in pursuit, plasma rifle blazing. Flit desperately weaved through the blasts, trying to fight off the source of the fear. Then he saw them, a whole line of the strange machines, rising up from the surface of the lake, hovering just above the surface. With a flash, they lit up, creating a series of the glowing panels. The shield slowly rose upward, connecting together one panel at a time.

"It's going to trap our forces inside," Flit realized in horror. He looked up at the fleets, and realized with only half relief that the _Diva _and the other Federation vessels were ascending rapidly. But the enemy _Fa Raza _were descending, and their guns going to have more and more reason to paint him as a target. The shield was now almost a full dome, with a small vaguely flower-shaped opening in the center where the Vagan forces were descending under a vicious onslaught of firepower. Two of the _Fa Raza _couldn't sustain the bombardment and crumbled under the assault, falling down between the other forces, breaking to pieces. Flit dodged several flaming junks and kept going, still wary of the Veinidorr not far behind, its beam sword ignited to carve the Starks to ribbons once it caught him.

By chance, a piece of debris struck the machine. With a scream from Angelo, the Veinidorr fell back toward the lake.

A wave of beam bolts flew out in all directions, and several Gafrans rushed in, including a familiar black and purple unit. Flit ignored them all, outdistancing the enemy with another burst of thrust. Alarms screamed as the control panel flashed red, warning that the Starks was being pushed to over 123% beyond its engines' capacity. The binders began to glow red at the tips as Flit gunned the machine up the last desperate climb. Then they were above the closing shield, weaving through a storm of friendly fire. Flit angled toward the right, moving along the shimmering surface of the shield. Behind him, the final glowing panels materialized, sealing the enemy fleet behind an invincible wall of light.

* * *

**The **_**Diva **_

Flit watched as the Green Techno Solon Gundam was placed into a hanger brace beside the Starks. "Where did you get that?" He asked Ivon Alfenoa, who was leaning his back against the catwalk's railing, going over every detail of the Starks.

"Reinforcements have arrived from Viceroy," explained Ivon with a smile, "I was with Magistrate Tapiwa when he made the deal. If you weren't rushing us out of there like a madman, you may have noticed quite a few more _Darwins, _as well as whole legion of those new Genoace II models. Although they're really only the Custom designs in mass produced form," Ivon added as he took off his gloves. "I hope you apologize. I was enjoying that fight."

Flit stared at Ivon in wonderment. "I saved our _lives_," he stammered. "You would have been trapped in there!"

"Yes, and I could have broke one of those shield generators," Ivon retorted, straightening up. "That was my plan from the start. But you messed it up. Try not to get in the way next time, Woolf Enneacle always did that, and it gets on my nerves." He started off toward his Gundam, yelling for the mechanics to keep their hands off of it.

Flit watched the eccentric pilot go, wondering where in the world his aunt had found plans so close to the Gundam. The Sylph's performance was real, it was surely no cosmetic change from the Genoace, but a pure new model.

* * *

**The **_**Mirage, **_**flagship of the Federation Combined Fleet**

"I apologize for the late arrival," Maria Asuno Diamler said from across the screen. Admirals William Kindle and Sireneen sat in their command chairs, watching as the gigantic rectangular cargo ships unloaded hordes of Genoace II units. "We took longer in organizing our forces than first estimated."

"The point is you are here now," Admiral Sireneen said, her wizened face set in a continual frown. "The enemy lured many of us away with decoys. These new ships should be of some great use."

"The new _Darwin _vessels have more dense armor. They will not be so easily annihilated as before," Maria assured them. "In return, I would like to ask you a favor."

"Name it," Kindle said.

"I will be working closely with the Federation's R&D department. I would love to speak personally with my Nephew, Flit Asuno. We have some…business propositions to discuss."

"What kind of propositions?"

Maria's eyebrow twitched slightly. "We are both engineers, Admirals. We love our machines. I want to compare designs with him and blueprint new models."

"Very well, so long as you do not remain aboard the _Diva _for too long. We are pulling back to reassess our strategy."

"Thank you for understanding. I hope our company's weapons will change the course of this war."

* * *

**Valkyrie subterranean base**

Grodek Ainoa sighed with contempt and withdrew his data key. "I tried everything I know in the field of file recovery. The data surrounding the EXA-DB is totally corrupted."

"On purpose no doubt," Ract tsked and turned away with his arms folded. "A wasted trip that nearly got us all blown to stardust, thanks to you."

"We can probably confirm that the EXA is a weapons and technology repository. That much is clear."

"I suspected that from the beginning," Ract retorted angrily. "Is there nothing new you can get from Valkyrie's database?"

"Not much. Wait," Grodek tapped on the keyboard for a moment and then seemed to brighten up. "The mobile armor guardian for the EXA-DB is called, S.I.D. There appears to be no explanation for the acronym."

"I couldn't care less," Ract said. "Let's go, unless you would like to try and destroy the Moon again."

Grodek stared for an uncomfortably long moment at the now blackened computer terminal. Then he stood and followed Ract out the door. "One day I will complete a processing system that can operate the terraformer properly," Grodek said as he passed Ract. "Then we can decide whether or not to put an end to the people of Vagan once and for all."

"What will you do in the meantime? Help me search for the EXA-DB, Grodek. I could use you in a new world ruled by EUBA."

Grodek didn't turn to face him as they stalked down the blackened halls. "Whether by EUBA or something else, this Federation will fall."

* * *

**The **_**Resplendent**_

Amadis Largo felt a sensation of relief wash over him as the cruiser slowly pulled alongside the green hull of the _Deva. _Simba Tapiwa's deal with Techno Solon and Madorna's Workshop would stem the tide. As he boarded the _Deva, _Amadis couldn't help but look out his shuttle's viewport. Tycho crater rested below, the luminous, diamond-like dome active and shifting just above its rim. Despite taking terrible loses, the Federation failed to stop the Vagan from obtaining a truly impregnable fortress. Amadis turned away from the invincible shield and steadied his thoughts on the task before him.

If they wanted to kill this beast before it grew unstoppable, they would strike at the vulnerable heart.


	19. 19 A Drama

Flit Asuno, Emily Amonde, Fezarl Ezelcant, Zara, Yurin L'Ciel, Yark Dole Briar, Cedrick Fondor, Grodek Ainoa, Decil and Zeheart Galette, Issishar Ezelcant, Arabel Zoi…The pilots of the Federation, loyally fighting a foe their government has branded an enemy without a second thought, for better or worse. The soldiers of Vagan, desperate to win a foothold in a new world that rejected them, with the seeds of vengeance slowly growing to the surface. Those who are fighting for life or revenge, for country..or nothing at all. The players hidden in the shadows, shifting the odds to favor their selfish ends. The men from the distant rim of the Solar System, watching events unfold with their own agenda. The Cast is now fully assembled!

Below is a listing of these characters and their respective alliances, and perhaps a few hints as to their intentions. The kaleidoscope has begun to spin, but only a few of these below will manage to escape the growing chaos. Only Characters upon reaching this point in the story are included. Those who have died previously are omitted.

* * *

**_Dramatis Personae_**

**Earth Federation**

Flit Asuno (male, originally civilian but joins Federation forces for the sake of bringing the war with the Vagan to a "decisive" end)

Alfred Asuno (male, although deceased, his journal guides his son to uncovering the original resting place of the AGE device)

Emily Amonde (female, a childhood friend of Flit Asuno)

Unoa Asuno (female, daughter of Flit and Emily Asuno)

Vargas Dyson (male, an engineer who helps construct the AGE-1 Gundam)

Dique Gunhale (male, An enthusiastic schoolmate of Flit and Emily, he eventually takes time to learn about the AGE System Flit designed, and begins operating it alongside Vargas Dyson)

Adams Tinel (male, Former Helmsman of the warship _Diva, _and later its reluctant captain)

Milias Alloy (female, former communications operator for the warship _Diva, _now a mobile suit pilot of AGE Gundam unit II)

Woolf Enneacle (male, mobile suit ace, captain of the _Diva's _mobile suit complement)

Onette Cory (former bridge crew officer aboard the warship _Diva, _now a member of the a Federation taskforce)

Ivon Alfenoa (male, ace mobile suit pilot, known for his abnormal behavior)

Nova Omusa (female, mobile suit pilot aboard the _Diva_)

Kannas Westmorland (male, mobile suit pilot aboard the _Diva_)

Ewen Winter (male, mobile suit pilot aboard the _Diva_)

Cedrick Fondor (male, Federation Prime Minister)

Amadis Largo (male, aide de camp to Cedrick Fondor. Amadis soon proves to be the driving force behind the Federation's rearming. It is he who gives the order to send an attack force to scout out the Mars Sphere's defenses. Eventually, the _Diva _class battleship Amadeus is named after the Greek variant of his name)

Josiah Rodwain (male, Federation Magistrate of the European district)

Luli Jasmine (female, Federation Magistrate of East Asia district, Director of the unnamed Federation secret police and surveillance force. She takes pleasure in meddling in world affairs, with very little desire to gain more power, at least not publicly or in a way that would compromise her current position)

Cinnamon Maugh (female, a spy sent to Mars by the command of Luli Jasmine, she saves Arabel Zoi's life and plans to use him as the figurehead of a rebel movement)

Lumia Tarragon (female, an agent going by that name operating under Luli Jasmine)

Channa Nitzani (female, Federation Magistrate of the Middle Eastern district)

Mer-Mes Zuberi (male, Federation Magistrate of South American district)

Adalbrecht Diamler (male, only son of Maria Asuno Diamler. Actually the genetic offspring of Kendre Asuno, but his name was changed after birth, a deep emotional scar for him)

Admiral William Kindle (male, joint supreme commander over all Federation Combined Fleet forces and commander of First Fleet)

Admiral Agnes Sireneen (female, joint supreme commander over all Federation Combined Fleet forces and commander of Second Fleet)

Rear Admiral Kleig Boenov (male, a simple man in control of all defensive measures regarding the colonies by order of Admirals Sireneen and Kindle)

Ahley (female, comm operator aboard the _Diva_)

Stephon (male, weapons control officer aboard the _Diva_)

Guiren (female, helmsman aboard the _Diva_)

Toru (male, sensor operator aboard the _Diva_)

**Techno Solon/ Imperial remnant of Zalam**

Maria Asuno Diamler (female, former wife of Aflred Asuno's brother, Kendre Asuno, and aunt of Flit Asuno)

Tyle Drace (male, cousin of Largan Drace and a member of Zalam's military hierarchy. He worked for Techno Solon)

Eldas Drace (male, grandfather of Tyle and Largan Drace, a Zalam Warlord. He made a deal with Techno Solon to furnish them with mobile suits and warships)

Don Boyage (male, an old Zalam Warlord who once presided over Fardain and was head of Zalam in the absence of its Empress or successor to the throne, he was a friend of Alfred Asuno)

**Bisidian Pirate Group/ EUBA**

Angrazzo Lambro (male, captain of the _Nightingale_)

Iris Julia (female, first mate aboard the _Nightingale, s_omewhat militaristic, which many of the crew find grating)

Yianna (female, helmsman aboard the _Nightingale_)

Guss Dillon (male, a sensor operator aboard the _Nightingale_)

Mozart Killisk (male, a multitasking operator aboard the _Nightingale _and principle torturer when the need arises)

Ginger (male, a new crewmember aboard the _Nightingale_, he sometimes takes over for Mozart Killisk on the bridge)

Nike Kingsland (male, mobile suit pilot aboard the _Nightingale_. He was originally an experiment of Luli Jasmine, but escaped her influence with the hopes of eventually returning for revenge if he cannot permanently escape her reach)

Mhatt Oliver (male, a Bisidian Hound, he has the right to be a ship's captain, but serves under Angrazzo Lambro for unknown reasons. He also serves as a mobile suit pilot aboard the _Nightingale_)

Gear (male, mechanic aboard the _Nightingale_)

Misty Halavi (female, pilot aboard the _Nightingale_)

Wilma Nightflare (female, former wife of the _Nightingale's _captain. She chose Angrazzo Lambro as the next captain of her husband's ship. She possesses a little technical knowledge, and is sought out by Ract Elfamel to decode old computers for the location of the EXA-DB)

Geget (male, a mobile suit pilot aboard the _Nightingale_)

Grodek Ainoa( male, a former computer analyst for the Earth Federation, he faked his death and joined the pirates to continue his personal vendetta against the entire world government. Because of this man's revenge, the world is upset and changed time and again by his subtle actions aboard the _Nightingale_)

Ract Elfamel (male, one of EUBA's many leaders, he is a prominent member with grand ambition. He contracts Bisidian to achieve his goals, using Wilma Nightflare to place Angrazzo Lambro as captain of a pirate vessel, so he could easily manipulate a Bisidian ship into serving in his quest to find the EXA-DB)

**Madorna's Workshop**

Mukured Madorna (male, heir of the Madorna family's MS smithy and avid mechanic. He is eventually contracted to supply mobile suits to the Federation)

Lalaparly Madorna (female, wife of Mukured and business contractor for Madorna's Workshop)

Amy Takeo (female, a competent engineer who eventually comes to assist Madorna in managing the Workshop)

Rody Madorna (male, son of Mukured and Lalaparly, an avid mechanic like his parents, but feels inhibited by staying in one place all the time)

**Misc. **

Jaden Takeo (male, former worker at Madorna's Workshop)

Sutura Takeo (female, former worker at Madorna's Workshop)

Nomi (female, biochemist, last name unknown)

**Vagan**

Fezarl Ezelcant (male, Supreme Overlord or Leader, of the Martian civilization of Vagan, he is a relic of a bygone era, determined to return to the Earth Sphere that cast him out)

Issishar Ezelcant (female, daughter of Fezarl Ezelcant and former ruler of the old Axis Federation. Where her father is compassionate and levelheaded, Issishar is brutal, cruel, and aware of this fact. She aspires to rebuild humanity in her image, but only after purging it of those she feels unworthy)

Zoroaster Zara (male, the Fire Priest of Vagan's religious order, which appears to have more political structure than strict doctrine)

Yark Dole Briar (male, a member of Vagan's religious order)

Yurin L'Ciel (female, an immigrant from Earth, she comes to Mars to learn more about its people and the tragedy behind its formation)

Arabel Zoi (male, a rebel originally under the command of a Federation insergant by the codename of Cinnamon, he later breaks away from her control to wage a true revolt, only to have it stamped out early and himself flung far from Mars in a trick of fate)

Nixean McArver (male, subordinate to Geera Zoi. He eventually takes command until the arrival of An Grams to Fardain)

An Grams (male, supreme commander of Vagan's home fleet and eventual warfront commander. He is somewhat fat, alienating his men, most of which have been forced to live without plenty. Despite his obesity, he holds those under his command dear to his heart, and takes great pain in putting them in harm's way. Some believe this type of sentimentality will ultimately bring ruin on him and his forces)

Monora Zoi (female, a lesser member of the Zoi family who banishes Arabel upon arrival to Arndion and tries to assassinate him)

Telemari Agori (female, mobile suit pilot of the powerful Keshae. She takes on a somewhat surrogate mother role to a pair of young pilots in the X-Rounder corps)

Martha Reed (female, a confident mobile suit pilot, she is paired with Medel Zant early during the conflict)

Medel Zant (male, a young, somewhat cocky youth who joined the military to escape his wealthy family. His tactical abilities soon set him apart from his contemporaries. After going into a brief cold sleep, he gives himself the new surname, Gramis)

Anelle (Mink) Drosros (female, a feisty pilot who has a rather fanatical desire to kill Terrans, yet has a strange apathy for her own people as well. She is a member of the X-Rounder corps, despite her young age upon joining)

Dole Frost (male, Easy-going and lighthearted mobile suit pilot, he is a member of the X-Rounder corps and partnered with the vivacious Mink)

Angelo Enreze (male, pilot of the mobile suit Veinidorr. Originally rough and tumble pilot, Angelo eventually suffers from the harmful effects of the Nanos-zsells, falling into a deprived, psychotic state bent on destroying the Age-1)

Decil Galette (male, ace mobile suit pilot and Issishar's disciple)

Zeheart Galette (male, mobile suit pilot and powerful X-Rounder, young brother of Decil)

**Sarapin Collective Systems, SCS**

Sinfreid Ogal (male, Expeditionary Fleet commander of the Sarapin Collective Systems. An Atlantian by birth, having been born at Neptune)

* * *

**Technical Data**

All artwork for my designs can be found on my deviant art account, the link to which is posted on my profile page.

I wholeheartedly admit to being a Neanderthal of technology, an unforgivable sin in this day in age, but impossible to correct in a timely manner to finish this story. To look on the slightly brighter side of this dark revelation, I am an artist (of a sort) and have attempted to illustrate my designs. Please check my profile page to find the artwork and technical specs, some of which are pending. Yeeeah...I must warn my readers that this is the very first time I have attempted to draw mecha art, and digital art at that, so please bear with me if my designs are not to many of your personal standards, because they aren't at mine either. If some of the designs are simply sketchwork and do not have a colored sibling, then that means I will either be coloring them in the future or will not be doing so at all. I crave your indulgence for this lack of competence.

If I update this section, it will be to detail the slight changes in mecha, such as the Titus Wear and its double DODS rifles and DODS fists, or the Baqto's boomerangs.

Also, I forgot to mention that all these characters and mecha designs are free for anyone to use if they so choose. The AGE fanfiction section is a poor sight at this time of writing, so I offer my OC's and mecha in the hopes it assist in generating more interest. I had to essentially construct the AGE world from scratch considering the lack of substantial resource material, so perhaps my contributions will allow others more stuff to work with. Just be sure to let me know where and if you are using my mecha or OC's, I want to keep up with where they pop up you know.

And thank you all for reading this far, especially to my loyal reviewers. And a special thanks to Zaru, who's constructive criticism has goaded me to strive for a better product.

And now, on with the show…


	20. Chapter 19 Aunti Maria

**Chapter Nineteen Auntie Maria**

* * *

**April 24****th**** AG117-Earth Sphere the Moon**

Slowly, a lozenge-shaped vessel pushed doggedly through the depths of a subterranean channel running beneath the lunar surface. Gently, it rose to the surface, breaking through a crust of hardened rock cooled in the chill of space. The ship's glowing shield along its hull vanished, and it moved forward, reaching a deep valley not flooded with lava, and touched down on one of its tips. Slowly, it began to split open along its sides. Manipulator claws lowered from within, bearing numerous crates and pieces of prefabricated buildings. One especially important piece of equipment, a massive dish with a glowing circular light was moved down beside the ship. A moment later, the umbrella cloak sprang to life, hiding the transport ship as the workers slowly began work on the base.

* * *

**The **_**Diva, **_**hanger bay**

"Flit Asuno," Maria Asuno Diamler said as she stood before him in front of the AGE Builder, which was making some new adjustments to the Reiber spear, such as a chain link so the spearhead could serve as a flail. All this was forgotten on Flit Asuno as he stared at his only surviving blood relative, putting Adalbrecht Diamler aside for the moment. It felt disturbing, staring at her, with all the familiarity of Marina Asuno, but with enough difference of the mark of time and overall facial differences. She wore a brown, single piece dress, with black leggings poking underneath. The dress accentuated rather than smothered her brown hair as it fell in a straight brown waterfall down her slim shoulders and back. The first difference, Marina had curly hair, from what Flit remembered of her.

The facial features were, Flit had to admit, astonishingly superior. Her cheek bones more prominent, yet her face one of those that while full, did not appear either fat nor thin. The nose and ears were the same as her sister's as were the eyes. Both the sisters had the Asuno eyes, perhaps a reason why Flit's father and uncle had been so enthralled. It was rare for one to mean another with the same colored eyes. Sea green blue, bright and inquisitive, Flit could still remember Marina's stare. But the color was where the eye similarities vanished. Maria's stare was bright and inquisitive yes, but in its own way. The lids of her eyes drooped further, almost smugly, the long lashes giving her a seductive look. They sparkled and twinkled, as if the light were trapped inside, trying to escape.

"You're staring, Flit," Maria said to break the awkward silence. She stepped forward, reaching to cup his face with her hands the same way Marina had done for the last time when he started off for his first day of school.

"Maria Asuno, please refrain from this kind of behavior," Flit said tersely, gently but firmly removing the hands.

To his surprise, Maria looked almost teary eyed. She blinked them back and tossed her hair nervously. "Is something wrong?" Flit asked, confused. This was not the terrible black sheep Boyage and Bruzar had warned him about so often.

"I'm sorry," Maria looked away. "You're the spitting image of Kendre. I hadn't seen any pictures of you in two years," she looked back, her eyes alight again with a friendly smile. "I'm happy to finally meet you, Flit."

* * *

Inside the darkness of his cabin, Captain Adams Tinel rested against the back of the desk chair. His and Adalbrecht's plans had gone awry, so much for a promotion anytime soon. Not that he was actually looking for one, because he frankly didn't care at this point. His primary concern was getting this ship and its new crew through this war alive, and that seemed like an increasingly insurmountable task, one that didn't look like it would end anytime soon either.

He thought about it, told himself he should really watch the calories, then finally broke down and pressed on the intercom. "Aye Sir? What will it be for you?" Kotetsu asked immediately. "Curry? Chicken salad—you love that—perhaps I could interest you in some East Asian cuisine. How about cashew chicken—or wait—I think I saw a recent catalogue of things I can order from the supply ships that I can order duck. Ever had a famous roast duck from Beijing? Excellent, though I put a stuffing in it to kill for."

"None of that thank you," Adams said with a sigh. "Make me an Espresso Con Panna. And some of those cranberry chocolate cookies you made, the pre-battle pains spoiled their taste last time."

"Right away, though I'll have to forgo putting in the cloves."

"I don't care."

"Umm, right. They'll be ready in a jiffy. Do I have permission to knife anyone who tries to steal them, because the entire crew within smelling range come flocking whenever I start baking sweets."

"Tell them they spend a day in the brig for every chocolate morsel they take from me," Adams commanded solemnly. He gulped as memories of Stoller Guavaran floated into his mind. He suddenly felt sick on his stomach. _I'm becoming like Him_, Adams thought in wide-eyed horror.

"Sir?"

"That will be all, Kotetsu, just get me those cookies."

He keyed off the intercom. "The end is coming sooner than I thought."

* * *

Milias Alloy and Woolf Enneacle reclined in the silence of the empty Mess against one of the tables, sipping on energy drinks. Ewen was off training again, apparently obsessing over his piloting skills, a common side-effect of fighting with Woolf and losing every single time.

"You pull off some crazy stunts," Milias teased. "It's no wonder he goes berserk with his simulations."

"He dragged poor Kannas along this time," Woolf said, finishing the last of the drink. "And he keeps going on about teamwork this and teamwork that, I wish Command would make him team leader."

"Can't let that happen, they know you're better off with a pass to give yourself your own orders," Milias said. "Better to do that and not have you in the brig day-in and day-out."

"Well, they may have to hand Flit a pass like that," Woolf said. "He's going to make his own rules regardless what we tell him. Speaking of which I'm going to the hanger to see him in action. His aunt is coming, bound to be an interesting encounter." Woolf stood up and started off.

"Maria Diamler!?" Milias stood up and followed quickly, "Why didn't someone tell me?"

"I thought you heard. Don't expect me to be your grapevine."

"Do you realize how serious this is? You know she will be a problem, and after someone mysterious tried to steal the AGE device!"

"That's why I'm heading down there," answered Woolf. He sniffed, "something's baking."

"This is serious," Milias protested, raising her voice.

Both stopped and glanced aside to find Nova Omusa sitting there.

Nova looked up quizzically. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Woolf said, "But, when did you come in?"

"About the same time you did," Nova said. She turned back to the book in her hand, effectively ignoring them.

Woolf frowned. "And my pilots show no respect either." He turned about and continued quickly out of the Mess, Milias in tow.

Nova continued reading for several minutes, then closed her eyes and sniffed appreciatively, filling her nostrils with the spicy, somewhat fruity scent. "I smell cookies." She settled down and waited patiently for Kotetsu to venture out of his mouse hole.

* * *

Flit Asuno was only half certain this was reality. Maria Diamler waited patiently for what he would say next. She was apologizing for the last nine years! As if he would believe her. "You can't expect me to accept you as family after all you've done," Flit said blatantly.

"All I've done? No, Flit, it's what I _haven't _done. I should have tried harder to get you back from Bruzar, but he said you didn't want to join us at Viceroy, and I was preoccupied raising Adal. I should have been more-

-You're wrong. I'm talking about all the things you have done to steal the AGE device, and the Gundam plans all these years!" Flit said, balling his fists in anger. "Don't think you can slide that under the rug."

Maria frowned in confusion. "What things? I haven't done a single thing to steal the AGE device, though I have been desperate to see it again. I was alive when Kendre and Alfred found it in the Arctic you know," she said. "Give me one example of something below board you can accuse me of."

"_That_," Flit said, pointing at the Sylph. "It is practically the AGE-1 with varying weapons." Flit brought back more painful memories, even though they might open the still raw wounds again, "And then there was a good friend of mine from Aliston. Largan Drace was stabbed by a worker from _your _company," he said with disgust. "Try and deny it, but you know that was your doing somewhere down the line."

"Tyle Drace!" Maria put her hands to her mouth, face white with shock. "He did _what_? When? Oh, I moved too slowly with the likes of those Zalam," she started walking, hands still over her mouth. She turned back to him, her eyes nearly brimming over with revulsion and shame. "Oh, Flit, I'm so sorry, I a mistake. I should _never _have trusted the Drace Family."

"What are you talking about?" Flit demanded, a _very _uneasy feeling forming in his gut like a ball of lead moving through his intestine.

"You might not have known, it must be a shock to you to hear this, but, the Draces they…" her voice trailed off a moment. She closed her eyes to blink away the tears—apparently from anger—then reopened them, "Eldas Drace is a Zalam Warlord, the same as Don Boyage. Years ago, around the time Orvan fell, Eldas Drace approached me with a deal to furnish him with warships in exchange for mobile suit development plans. I accepted after a good deal of debating, after which they promised me other things, such as a security force to defend the Forge Zone from pirates, smugglers and Blackspace gangs, such rabble as we have on Viceroy. The Federation was always inept."

"You're saying those plans," Flit started, then the pieces to the puzzle fell one by one in the growing darkness of his mind.

"I recently broke my deal with Eldas, seeing as I no longer needed the money or support with the new deal with Magistrate Tapiwa in place. I was working on removing them long before that however, in preparation for a new contract with the military should the Federation not move first, which they very nearly didn't. I-I, knew after some investigations when I heard about your Gundam that something was wrong. It didn't take long to realize the plans I was receiving were not old Zalam prototypes as I planned to use for a vintage MS line, but actually advanced new weaponry, weaponry used to build the AGE-1, such as the DODS rifle."

"You knew then," Flit said, trying to draw the subject desperately away from where he knew it was going. It _couldn't _be.

"I soon learned that Eldas was using Tyle Drace, an assistant sales broker of ours and his grandson, to act as a go-between for a certain spy in Aliston: Eldas' other grandson, Largan Drace."

"I can't believe Largan would do something like that," Flit said, face flushing with rage and frustration at what he knew as now becoming a very harsh reality.

"I let Tyle go and told Eldas that all our present deals are off. To think he took such steps. I never would have guessed they would murder a member of their own _family._"

"Maria!" Chief Engineer Vargas Dyson floated down from over the AGE Builder, his face flushed with fury. "You vixen! What are you doing here?! Get out of here!"

"I have security clearance from _both _Admirals," Maria replied calmly, but with a stony gaze at the old man. "I am trying to have a serious discussion with my nephew."

"Vargas, leave us alone." Flit commanded, his tone pure ice. Vargas stared at Flit in surprise for a moment, then finally had to drop his gaze from the withering, agonized look in Flit's face.

"We'll talk about it later," Vargas said stubbornly, moving on ahead to instruct the removal of the improved Reiber spear as it came out of the second Builder.

"No, I can't do that," Flit said to the old man when he could no longer catch the words. "Maria, do not tell anyone about this. Ever."

"I promise, the secret is safe with me," she said with a genuine smile. At least he thought it was. She was so bewitching! Like his own mother reborn and changed through the slow concourse of time.

"I will be working closely with the R&D division of the Federation's technical branch based off Ashrite," Maria said, changing the subject with a brighter tone in her voice. "Which brings me to the meat of why I came, besides to apologize that is. Actually, I think this may serve as an apology as well to you, considering how you may react."

"I refuse to give you the AGE device," Flit said, gripping the item underneath his uniform. He had saved it through Orvan, Nora, and countless battles, his mother's parting gift to him and the only link to her he had left.

"I understand what it must mean to you," Maria said. "I tried to attend the funeral, but Kendre's death made attending funerals a bad experiance. I never conquered that weakness," she said, hanging her head. "I hope you can forgive me for that too. And now, I have a favor to ask. If you will not permit me to have the device, I would dearly love to see how it works. If the_ Diva _ is destroyed in combat, it would do well to have another similar system in the works elsewhere. I don't plan to develop a second AGE System, however we can still keep the general data safe at Viceroy should something happen."

"That..might not be a bad idea," Flit admitted. During the last couple battles, particularly when the ship had been damaged by the colony buster, he wondered just what he would do if the Builders were destroyed.

"And I would love to expound on the Wear parts," Maria said, pointing at the Starks. "That one looks like a high-mobility type. Does it have a missile pod in the binders?"

"Yes, actually, it does," Flit responded, quashing the sudden surge of enthusiasm. "How did you know?"

"I didn't marry _two _MS smiths and continue their legacy for money," Maria said with a chuckle. "Though wealth became a means to the end. It can astonish even me at times after so many years how much a bottomless supply of funds can put toward bringing out new models. I have so many designs! But none compare to what the AGE System can do! I must admit, I am desperate to see it in action, and study the Wears. What I propose is that I take the data on the Wears and expound on them into new model units. We can even create it under a sub-firm like say, your own smithy?"

"That is a generous and ambitious offer," Flit said, growing suspicious. This was all a bit different from what he had pictured of his encounter with Maria. So much for a running gunfight in the depths of Viceroy's shadowed sewers, a vision conjured up by Boyage's dramatic tale of his escape from Viceroy with the _Rafflesia_. And this Maria in front of him was a completely different woman than what everyone said. She was ambitious it was true, but so was he when it came to his Gundam.

"Also," Maria said, leaning in a bit close conspiratorially, eyes wide, "I think it's obvious that you're losing control of the entire program"-she nodded a head toward where Dique was directing a crew of workers as they repainted Unit II-"to people like the Chief Mechanic Gunhale and Dyson. They both developed the second unit by themselves right? How many Wears did they complete without your say-so or imput? And then there's the other pilots and who they go to for advice to consider."

"Exactly!" Flit said, "That's exactly it."

"You should keep technology like this within the family," Maria said. "That's why Alfred gave the AGE device to your mother when he died instead of Mukured Madorna, even though that man could have made a better use of it, considering Marina had no real interest in being a Smithy. I admit I was upset that it sat idle for so long, but that time is at an end. You can handpick the head developers for the project, to maintain trust and security and all that good stuff." She smiled. "After all, no one besides Techno Solon can keep the best security money can buy. And I will make sure to watch it closely. And when your piloting days are done, you could settle down as a base commander somewhere and we could set up the operations there so you could permanently oversee them."

"We should talk about this more," Flit said.

"How about we do that while you show me the Starks a little more. I want to see those thruster engines, they look astonishing up close. I saw it during the battle, a white blur, you were fantastic."

The two walked off, Flit deciding that he had been expecting an enemy in Maria Asuno Diamler, and instead found a valuable friend.

Milias and Woolf were there for the last exchange, watching in utter disbelief.

"We were too late," Milias said, pulling at her hair in disgust, "she's got him under her spell!"

"Me too," Woolf said, watching Maria go. "No one told me she was that _foxy_. I enjoy a bit of interbreeding now and then."

Milais' hand moved to fast to see.

Mechanics looked up from their work as Woolf's pained yowl echoed through the hanger.

* * *

Captain Adams Tinel looked up in annoyance as Kotetsu entered, bearing the coffee and a not so full container of cookies.

"What happened to them?" He asked, finding only two inside.

"One of the pilots was reading a book right outside the door!" Kotetsu said defensively. "Be thankful I got _two _away from her, she attacked so suddenly. I had no idea anyone could hide their presence so well."

"Hm," Adams munched on the cookie. Today was turning out to be an abysmal one indeed. Maria Diamler was on his ship, but he didn't feel the need to get involved with Flit's family affairs right now. He had too much to deal with as it was.

* * *

Kannas Westmorland dropped into his bunk, turning his back to the ceiling as he rebounded slowly upwards from the bed. Flit wasn't here, probably talking with his aunt, the famous owner of Techno Solon Enterprises and even a board member of Orangegrape Industrial, a shipwright firm, among other things, including agriculture. Heck, she practically held that part of Industrial hostage, considering its farms were based off of Solon City.

Kannas rolled over again in his bunk, surprised to find Flit's….unusual Haro. It was sitting there, active but motionless, watching him intently as if measuring him up. Kannas found that _disturbing_. He rolled away from the thing, feeling eyes boring into the back of his head even though it was a machine. The halo flashed, and he felt as though there really was someone watching on the other end of those optics.

"Haro, I wonder if you could really think, what you might say if I told you the Federation isn't what it should be."

"Run for office, that is my advice on legal matters," Haro replied in its high-pitched yet somehow drearily searious voice.

"That won't be good enough, Haro. The corruption is so great, one day there will be a man to come along that will sweep the public off their feet...When it happens," he decided not to voice that thought in front of a loyal, mindless Federation drone.

* * *

**April 25****th**** AG117-Mars Sphere Second Moon, control center**

"Why did you not alert me of their prese-sesne-nce, Jubudhghgabouaptagses amthe—mrert"—Yark Dole Briar's voice broke to pieces and dissolved into static.

Zoroaster Zara frantically fiddled with the frequency, trying to redirect it through better channels, or increase the transmission's power. "Yark I can't hear you," he said, the fuzzy image on the other end stopped talking and waited patiently. How did he do that? Really? Zara had never been one to patiently wait around while there was a problem like a scratchy signal, he would have cut the feed and walked off until the storm died down or someone fixed the problem. But Yark Dole stood there passively, waiting. Perhaps he had important news to say. After a moment the planetside Priest sent a text message instead.

Why didn't you tell me about them when they arrived?

"I didn't know," Zara typed back, too agitated not to speak what he was writing. "They refuse to help us, which may or may not be a sign of bad character."

You didn't want to come down here and help either.

Granted, Zara replied.

What now? The situation is growing unstable here. Some of the more venturesome want to _stay_ on the surface and try to disable the terraformer.

"Fools! Ignoramus imbeciles," and Zara made sure to type several other explicatives. "They know what always happens."

Of course, but many of them are young ones. They refuse to listen. Back to the Atlantian fleet. Have they made any suspicious movements?

"Not at present but they may have some of their ships still cloaked in reserve. We are watching constantly, but I have lost so many scouts already from the radiation storms."

I will speed up the recovery. The problem is, I have nowhere to send these people. We have to get the colonies back into space.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Federation Combined fleet, the **_**Diva**_

Kannas was drifting down a hallway near the storage rooms, having just finished reserving a whole missile pod set for his Genoace, when two _very _familiar figures appeared around a small zigzag in the hall. Kannas leapt into a dark storage room and crawled into the back quietly, his custom black pilot's flack jacket blending nicely into the shadows amidst the crates.

* * *

"Will he show?" Amadis Largo asked Adalbrecht Diamler as they stood near a storage room within the bowels of the _Diva. _

"You doubt my wizarding skills of persuasion?"

"I've heard bluffs before, remember," Amadis said, crossing his arms. "We need all the capable people we can trust."

"Flit Asuno erred on the side of his sense of duty once, he would do it again without reporting our movements."

"What movements?" Flit Asuno himself strode into the room, glancing between Adalbrecht and Amadis. Flit stared at the Latino for a moment, trying remember where he had seen him before.

"Amadis Largo," the man said for Flit's memory. "It's the longer hair," he picked up a few strands from his bangs, which were now growing well over his ears, "I'm usually more professional looking on television."

"You're the Prime Minister's assistant!" Flit said in surprise. He glanced over at Adalbrecht. "I suppose I owe you an apology, cousin. You were telling the truth after all about this whole scheme." He paused and looked at Amadis. "Um, what exactly are we meeting about? And why in an abandoned hallway?" His voice rose, challenging the two men for an excuse.

"This mission we're planning must remain top secret at all times," Amadis said. "The secret police are everywhere, and I do not trust Luli Jasmine any further than I can throw her. The plan is to send a small taskforce of specialists to the Mars Sphere. Depending on what we find there, it might be a very short trip or a full-scale sabotage operation. We have most of the team already assembled, save for the MS pilots."

"And engineer," Adalbrecht added with a wink.

Flit took the hint, "I take it you want me to serve as both. I've thought about it, and I don't see what I can do there as a pilot. I'm needed here more."

"With that shield system, we won't be making any sort of effective moves against the Vagan," Adalbrecht said. "That is the Admiralty's opinion for you in a nutshell."

"Cedrick Fondor means to have Simba Tapiwa run everything, but Simba is dead. If we don't move quickly, he and the government will stall until there is no way of removing the Vagan. We have reason to suspect that the Mars Sphere is in a state of upheaval due to a terraformer, though I'm not certain about the information..it was never clarified." His voice fell away and he looked to the side. "If you don't wish to help us, please tell us plainly."

Flit looked down. How could he really trust what they were saying was true? Maria was not a tyrannical businesswoman, Largan had been a spy, sent to weed his way into the lives of the Aliston base soldiers. And now the rumored secret police was a dangerous sub element the Federation denied even existed! The world was a fake place, with people who didn't care on either side. He looked back up at Adalbrecht and Amadis, locking gazes with each of them carefully, gauging their expressions. They seemed genuinely concerned. He still did not fully trust Adalbrecht, or Maria for that matter, but Amadis Largo had always been an honest-looking public figure.

"I think, I will accept," he said at last, feeling slightly uneasy. This mission gave him a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Uhm, excuse me," a voice said behind them. All three jumped and turned around to find Kannas Westmorland standing in the open doorway of a storage room, looking somewhat frightened. "I was searching for parts, and ended up hearing your conversation."

"What did you think of it?" Amadis asked, face growing hard.

Kannas looked at Flit searchingly, "You all seem to have little faith in the government. I can understand that, I have some doubts as well that need to be cleared before all is done." He looked around anxiously, trying to come up with the right words. "I don't know how to put this in a way that doesn't sound treasonous, but I have never been certain who the real enemy is. Is it the Special Forces or the government? Is it the UE or something else? I felt I had my answer when the truth was revealed about the Vagan, but Ezelcant didn't sound like a cruel man in his speech. I want to know more about these people. If you are going to Mars, I would like to join."

"It could be a suicide mission," Adalbrecht said.

"Not necessarily," Amadis interjected. "We don't really know what we may face there."

"It doesn't matter," Kannas said. "Every battle is a suicide mission, ultimately."

"Then welcome," Amadis said. He turned to address Flit as well. "We need as stealthy a ship as possible. We will dock at Torrian for repairs to the _Diva's _engines and transferduring the resupply. It could be a long journey, so be prepared for a long ride. How long the preparations to launch will take depends on how quietly we get this done."

* * *

Further down the hall, Haro listened intently. "Gosh, a secret meeting," Haro whispered.

"Shut up," Grodek's voice snapped quickly. "They might hear."

"But you just spoke, don't I get an opinion?"

"I can hear you and read the text on my end, you don't have to speak out loud."

"But I w-a-a-n-t to," Haro stuttered. He suddenly spun sideways against the wall and popped open one ear. "I heard something." Slowly, Haro moved his upper half around the corner, his eyes glowing intently—right into the face of Amadis and Kannas.

"Wahaaaaaa!" Haro darted back. "They saw us—I mean me. Yeah, me. No alternate virus-hack egotistical personas in this robot. Just straight protocol."

"What's wrong with its voice?" Amadis asked.

"That one acts a bit strange," Adalbrecht said for Flit as the two came up.

"_Now what do you plan to do?" _Grodek demanded without using the microphone.

"_Watch and see, amateur."_

"Greetings, I am Haro, here to serve." Haro moved forward and hovered in front of the suspicious group.

"Haro, what were you doing listening to our conversation?" Demanded Flit. He turned to the others, "This was the first model, it has a quirked-up personality chip."

"Nonsense, I am an original HARO unit, an authentic assistance drone. My processing abilities and artificial intelligence are virtually unrivaled."

"Intriguing," Amadis said. "So you can actually comprehend what we were talking about?"

"_Now you're in for it," _Grodek threatened. _"I'm purging my link."_

"My task assigned by Captain Tinel is to serve Ensign Asuno to my fullest capacity. If the AGE-1 unit I is under orders to accompany him on this mission, I am bound by my duties to follow."

"I see, but you are aware of our mission, and that makes you a liability," Adalbrecht said, looking as though he might crack his knuckles and set to work dismantling the machine.

"I do not understand the statement. There is no mission. I divulge all knowledge about the AGE-1 unit I and other high security operations to those with Level 5 security clearance. Any attempt to hack my database immediately results in my deactivation and dumping of files to a separated data key."

"Over the fourth wall," Kannas said, "that's impressive. Only high ranking officers in the intelligence core could access the information."

_Grodek smirked at that._

"What wall?" Amadis asked. "Nevermind. Flit, make sure to keep that Haro in sight. It can't run its mouth."

"I understand," Flit said. "Come on," he grabbed Haro, who remained placid and started for his cabin, Kannas in tow.

"_Show off."_

"_Bearded stalker."_

* * *

**Mars **

Inside a prefabricated drop shelter, Yark Dole Briar finished his conversation with Zara and sat down on a rug, putting himself into a meditative pose, legs crossed, hands resting loosely on his knees. He felt for the back of his mind, to that space where the power lay. He coaxed it out gently, feeling trickles of the power rush along the twisting, winding pathways of his cells, tickling the nerve endings in his mind. Years of this ritual kept him from giggling like a little girl. Most X-Rounders—like Zara—still giggled. But Yurin didn't, which he found odd. Instead, the poor girl would cringe and start shuddering, her breath would come faster and she would even break out of the trance minutes—instead of hours like it should be—drenched with sweat and exhausted. She needed the trances to control her power more readily, and while she did them as the priests instructed, he could tell the exercises brought nothing but misery for her.

It shouldn't be that way, this was relaxing and refreshed the mind, not to mention warded off brain injury, as it accustomed the brain cells to the sometimes overwhelming surges of electromagnetic pulses from the X-Region. He mentally slapped himself, having let Yurin L'Ciel push him out of his trance. He breathed in deep again and resumed the meditation.

All those people outside, they reminded him of that day at Fardain. Even though years had passed, he felt the pain of that moment as he went against every fiber of his being and let millions die. Why was he thinking that? He was helping the survivors outside the shelter right now. There was absolutely nothing wrong with his actions. _No, meditation time. _

But what made them different? What truly made him allow one group of people's deaths, and risk his life for the other?

"_It's because they aren't Vagan like you,"_ Iwark Briar's voice said casually. _"Riria? Me? Oh, we were just exceptions. And that Yurin girl because you have a case of the lolis."_

"You do not exist," Yark replied simply, once again dropping into the meditation. _"But you know I do, because I'm speaking. I'm just a figment of your GUILT, but it's your doing. See, you're the one thinking this, not me." _

"Foolishness. I saved Riria and did all I could, go haunt Geera Zoi."

"_I might, but limbo is a big place and he hasn't popped up yet. Maybe he's in—you know—a not so happy limbo place? See, that was your thought, not mine, but you made me say it." _"You do not exist. _Begone_."

"_Have you ever wondered why I'm bugging the ever living sanity out of you?" _"Because you are the result of my brother threatening me just before death to make me feel guilty if something happened to Riria."

"_Right. Sharp you were and sharp you still are. Hahah, see? That was you praising yourself through the excuse that I'm a separate entity. You should get some socks and play our thoughts like puppets. And you _are _guilty, or I've got no purpose." _"You don't. I'm not guilty. Begone, phantom, you are disturbing my rest. It's back to work again in a few minutes. And as a fact I was smarter than Iwark. Thank you."

"_Hay, you're a humble priest! Sacrilegious, Yarky." _"Don't call me that ever again! I hated that and never missed it! I won't miss it now that you're dead!" _Yeah, you're guilty."_

"I am not. I lived my life for the people of Vagan. I toiled in the streets trying to help the orphans, running medicine to the stricken underlevels when I could have been studying like Zara. I am a good man who loves my fellow men." _"Which is why I slaughtered millions of innocents, ahuhuhuhuha. The doctor just got the results Yarki Dole Briar sir…you have…_ schizophrenia—

-_So congraaaduulations! You have the makings of an excellent homicidal maniac." _"I am anything but homicidal—or genocidal, that was Geera." _"Can I get your card? There's some neighbors down the street who have _unacceptable _tastes in doorstep carpet choices. Can I get you to lock em in a colony filled with missile beacons go to the warheads light the match and blow them all to kingdom come?" You can't see it but I'm on my knees begging you."_

Yark unleashed a flood of energy from his X-Region, silencing his brain with the sheer overflow of mental power. After several minutes of silence, he settled back down and calmly fell into the trance once more.

"_I'll never leave, Yark Dole. Not until you look in the mirror and decide what person you want to be."_

Yark Dole ignored the voice, and let it fade away.

* * *

**April 31****st**** AG117-Earth sphere, Colony Torrian**

He was coming home! Emily Amonde couldn't contain her excitement. Don Boyage had even told her that she would be dining with them at his mansion! Memories of what Rafflesia Tower had offered in the line of luxury sent her heart pounding with excitement. After all, Boyage knew how to live, and had the money to live it. She refused to accept his offer to join him now and then for supper, because she still felt as though Flit was imposing on the old man. That, and his good graces could not last forever now that it seemed completely obvious Flit wanted nothing to do with reviving Zalam.

Still, this was a time to celebrate! And relax. Relax in numerous ways too. She shook _particular _thoughts out of her head. Emily wanted to wait, until a more romantic opportunity, or perhaps if when they finally got married. She was tired of waiting, and watching the news reports and _live _footage of the battles every other day made her realize marrying him 'too soon' as the other kids and teachers called it my very well be too late. She believed in Flit, but she had a hefty belief in Vagan weaponry as well.

"Healthy respect," she rephrased. It sounded less treasonous.

What would Flit Asuno think? Who could say? He hadn't written or even phoned once during his absence, though she didn't see the difference, he rarely called during his stay at Torrian. But that would change once she gave him a scolding he would _never _forget. And then he would have absolutely no choice but to speak to her when they started living together. A stray thought passed that they might get Boyage's palace to live in if the old man insisted. Now _that _she could get behind, even if it meant coaxing Flit to make Boyage some new mobile suits.

Emily reached the classroom ahead of everyone else, save the brown-haired guy who was the maddening love-interest of about half the girls who attended the school grounds. Eric Steel or some other conveniently attractive name, Emily refused to remember it unless forced to do so by the other girls. They thought she was _crazy _to not move on from her "obsession" as they called Flit and go after a guy who was currently available. To his credit, Eric seemed like a nice guy, and he didn't seem to take too much advantage of the pretty young women hanging around him, though he appeared to enjoy their company far too much for her tastes.

The truth was though, they were _all _perverts. Every _one _of _them_. And she had seen what a boarding school's worth of teenagers could do when the lights went out, she _had _been at the party in the game room. Did they ever replace those pool tables?

"Well look who's in a happy mood for once!" A pretty, black-haired girl said, who had come up behind Emily as she sat her books down on her desk.

"Emily's got a smile on her face?" Eric asked, leaning around the other girl so he could catch a glimpse of that rare event. He smiled at her, a perfectly rakish grin. "What's gotten you so excited? Your boyfriend call you for once?"

"He's returning today, I'm leaving school early to meet him."

"Ohh," the girl, Mikki, smiled broadly as well and leaned forward. "Congratulations Em!"

"For what?"

"For finding your humanity again," Eric said with a shake of his head. "You've been acting doom and gloom for over a week. It's not like the Moon _exploded_."

"Well, it might have," Emily retorted. "You don't believe that story the media conjured up about a volcanic _asteroid_ collision do you? For all we know a bunch of crazed, vengful people were arguing over the controls at gunpoint!"

"There's no danger of another impact," Mikki said dryly. "So the Moon can't go boom and blow us all."

"It _wasn't _a meteor," Emily said through her teeth, her last nerves finally frayed to thin strands of feeble tolerance. Sometimes she understood why Flit wouldn't have fit in here at the school. He _was _more mature then they were, and not just in the realm of intelligence. "I may have what some color challenged people call blonde hair, but even I comprehend the scientific fact that volcanic asteroids do not exist in the known universe—at least within the confines of our galaxy."

"No matter what, the news always reports the truth," Eric quoted. "If they said it was an asteroid it was an asteroid."

"Then where was the crater? Why no pictures?" Emily demanded.

"They showed one."

"That was Apollo filled with lava from a hundred different molten rivers!" Emily snapped, pulling her hair as she mentally tried not to shriek. "Apollo. You know, the place where the _beginning _of the space age as we know it first began!" She sat down, tired. "Haven't you ever studied the Moon at night?"

"_I _grew up on Earth, it's too far away to study closely."

"I was too busy playing video games," Eric said. "Nighttime's a busy eight hours."

Emily sighed and let her head slam into her chemistry book. She could not _wait _until this class was over.

"Hey, Emily," a boy called into the room, rushing over to her desk. Emily looked up to see it was curley-haired Eugene, Eric's geeky counterpart, though Emily thought he was cute. His face had freckles and he spent more time reading than wrestling and kickboxing like Eric. For the moment, his bright hazel eyes were wide and frantic.

"Eugene, what's wrong?" Emily demanded, the boy seemed uncharacteristically excited.

"I thought you should know there was an explosion near the Boyage mansion!"

"That giant one with the stone wall like a freaking castle?!" Eric asked, moving over from his chair.

"Oh, I hear it has the most lovely gardens," Mikki said. "Is it damaged?"

"I think so, there were tons of fire engines headed that way, and the blast was so big, I was sure everyone would have felt it here."

"I did feel a tremor but passed it off as an asteroid smacking the colony," Mikki said, growing worried. Her face suddenly grew pale. "You don't think the Vagans would attack here?!"

"Calm down," Emily said, trying not to laugh. "It's just a fire." She knew well what a Vagan-style colony attack was like.

"A huge one!" Eugene said. "Look, you can see the smoke from the classroom window."

They all went to look, finding that what he said was true. Smoke and glowing embers flew up from where the mansion rested.

"Oh God they _are _attacking!" Mikki squealed.

Other kids had filed into the room, all of them crowding closer to the window for their own turn.

"Ridiculous. I don't feel the entire colony shuddering and I can still hear my eardrums. The wind isn't even blowing!"

"Not all attacks are like Nora," Mikki retorted.

Emily got up and started for the door. Truth be told, she _was _growing concerned for Boyage. It couldn't hurt to check up on him, and she had lived with Flit long enough to memorize the periodic table of elements, all six hundred synthesized elements memorized and separated from their hundred and four counterparts; the pop quiz today was not going to do anything on her final test scores.

* * *

Boyage woke up to find himself lying in a pool of blood. He tried to get up, but realized too late that he had been injured severely. Flit was arriving today. Oh what a fool he had been, wanting to tell the boy in person. Truth be told, he didn't _dare _comm. him for fear of those who might be listening in. If the rumor his contacts had informed him about the secret police were anything to go by, every comm. was being tracked and monitored by its operatives. And he wasn't about to have Flit lose the AGE device thanks to impatience.

The risks had been high, and he should have gone personally to see Flit himself, but the mission had taken longer than anticipated and Boyage would have had to fight desperately through a fleet of _Darwins _to reach him. _Technically_ after all, he was a rebel and an enemy to the government, so walking into the middle of their armada had not been the soundest of notions to enter his head.

"I didn't think that Eldas would pull a stunt like this off so easily," Boyage grumbled, finally picking himself up onto his hands and knees. Was his back broken? Because it sure felt like it. Staggering for breath, he glanced around. The roof was blazing with fire, rubble lay all around him, and the hungry flames licked at his priceless artwork. Countless credits—no—these paintings of art were _priceless _pieces of history, one of kind masterpieces that had survived too many centuries of violence to end up meeting an end as pathetic as this.

But his art collection was now long forgotten, and Boyage dragged himself onto his feet and staggered toward the edge of the room, where a row of pillars flanked a hidden servant's staircase. His attendants must have either been bought off or responsible for the explosives, because they were nowhere to be found and he knew better than to give away where he was. He had to get to Flit no matter what, even if it meant using a comm. to relay the information.

"But what about that book?" He grumbled, turning around deftly, he sent his head one way and then another, panning the smoke-filled room. He finally looked down to find it clutched in his slippery red hand, blood staining the pages crimson. When did it get there? He hadn't picked it up surely. Not questioning his senile brain any further, Boyage turned quickly and stumbled for the opening, struggling to breathe. His body felt like gelatin, probably from the explosion's shockwave. Once the adrenaline rush ended, he would probably be dead.

The doorway was devoid of flames but filled with acrid smoke. Boyage couldn't get on his knees because he was sure his back would never let him rise to his feet again. Taking a lungful of the bad air, he plunged inside.

* * *

**The **_**Diva **_

Flit Asuno sat alone in the Mess hall, watching Nova Omusa on the far end near the door to the kitchen, where she sat in a booth by the wall, glued to a book. He had only noticed her presence thanks to his X-Rounder senses. She was essentially unnoticeable otherwise. It was remarkable, because she was quite the head-turning beauty. Her thin waist resulted in noticeably curvaceous hips, and her brown skin fairly glowed sometimes. Her passive, pensive expression highlighted the intelligence in her dark brown eyes. In most women this would have given the opposite effect. Her slim legs huddled together closely, as if she were cozying up to a warm fire with a blanket pulled up to her, rather than being in a slightly frigid Mess hall inside a warship.

"So, you have sex drive after all, Flit Asuno," Ivon Alfenoa's voice said as the man floated over to the table, his long brown hair flying freely behind him. As usual, he wore a pair of blue jeans and a white dress shirt, untucked, which was against the ship's protocol under, considering zero g had a habit of flipping skirts and shirts up with almost intelligent interest. Such things might pass in all those popular movies they showed in the theaters, but not in real life aboard a professional weapon of war.

In all honesty, Ivon seemed to buck all manners of regulations and rank with impunity. Why was he not already court-marshaled?

"Ivon," Flit said, scowling dubiously. "Shouldn't you be tending to your mobile suit?"

"Oh, perhaps," Ivon said, turning a roving eye on Nova.

The most unnerving feature about Ivon was that he literally could not be sensed at _all. _Nova at least was spotable, if fuzzy. But Ivon simply slipped through his mind's net quite literally like an eel. If ever Flit could think of a case scenario where that colloquialism applied literally, Ivon was most certainly one of them. It wasn't a problem outside combat as much, but during a fight like at Tycho, Flit wanted to know when people were coming up behind him. He hated to admit it, but he relied on his powers to tell him, since they were far more sensitive and acute than a sensor board. What if he encountered a foe like Ivon from the other side? What if it was a sniper or cloaked enemy?

"You're spacing out," Ivon said, glancing once again back at Nova. "She's a sight you know. But all she does is read her book, stalk Kotetsu until he drops his goodies and runs, and generally sit around and listen. I bet she knows about your little Martian expedition too."

Flit bolted out of his chair, wondering if he should pull out his gun. Technically Ivon was a superior, but he also had a notice attached to his profile warning others to stay cautious of him. The only reason he was even alive after the incident with the mechanics was because of his piloting skills and political ties. "How did you find out?"

"I was asked, by Amadis," replied the man with a toss of his hair. He turned to Nova. "In battle she screams orders and turns into a much different person. Which do you think she is on the inside? That? Or the woman on the battlefield?"

Flit watched Nova for a moment longer, then averted his gaze when he realized she was glancing up at him from her book with an observant gaze. "I couldn't tell you."

Ivon laughed. "Some X-Rounder you are."

"Wait," commanded Flit as Ivon started off.

"You better hurry if you're coming along, Nova," called Ivon with a smile. "Amadis wants us to disembark the ship the moment we dock at port. Torrian's traffic control is letting us in right now, so get to it."

* * *

**Colony Torrian**

"Don Boyage!" Emily Amonde screamed, running across the empty cobblestone street, pedestrians running to the front of the building, where they flames billowed up into the sky. They were a block away from his mansion, veiled behind a pillar of smoke and flame. A jet of foam flew overhead from an engine, but the flames continued unabated.

"What are you doing here? We have to get you to a doctor," Emily cried, not waiting for an answer. She tried to grab him by the arm, but the gnarled old warlord thrust a ruined old book into her chest, stopping her cold. "I…let me catch my breath," and he allowed her to act as a support as he leaned an arm against her shoulder. He looked up, chest still heaving, his voice raspy. His clothes and exposed skin were burnt, his mustache drooping and singed. She looked back to find a trial of bloody droplets leading to an open door in the building behind them, which was situated in front of a small fenced-in natural area.

"I need you to take this, are you listening Emily?" He asked, looking into her eyes with a burning intensity. Emily nodded wordlessly, dumbstruck. "Good. Take this journal to Flit, he's docking today."

"I know, I was-

-that's good enough, I forgot you have-have clearance. Don't stop for anybody, Emily. Run, they're going to follow my trail, but that doesn't mean anything. Eldas is a crafty rascal. Don't stop for any _reason either._" He looked about ready to say more, something extremely important, but then both of them saw beyond the open door, coming up a flight of stairs. "They're going for me. Don't worry about me, Emily. I can manage. Go! Go before they see the book!"

With those parting words, Don Boyage whirled around, a pair of guns in his hands. They fired a scattershot blast that tore open the chest of the first man to exit the door, spraying the grass around him with red gore. The other two men split up on opposite ends of the door, both holding semi-automatic rifles.

Emily tore her eyes away from the horrible bloody mess and down at the book. Its faded brown cover was burnt and almost flaky, its yellowed, singed pages wet from blood. It stank of smoke and iron. She tucked the precious bundle Boyage was risking his and her life to get to Flit, and charged down the street, her legs pounding as her fear finally found a way into her heart, sending it beating like a frenzied war drum.

When Emily was gone, Boyage smiled and took off at a dead run, ignoring the steady numbness spread through his body, turning the brutal agony into a morbid dull ache. No matter Eldas Drace's men catching him. His life's clock was winding down to its final minutes.

* * *

**Mars **

Yurin L'Ciel's boots padded across the rusty red dirt of the Martian landscape. She entered the shelter and placed a container of freshly purified water down near the kitchen. This shelter belonged to five or six small families, all young couples with newborns. She wiped sweat from her brow, only to remember that her helmet was in the way.

"My baby needs milk," one of the mothers said desperately, yelling over the infantile screaming in the shelter. "Don't you care if she gets fed!?"

"Yes," Yurin said, having taken off the helmet to wipe her brow. She was tired of helping, tired of doing her best and knowing that people were not appreciating it. If she actually made a difference, then yes, it was worth while even if they cursed her. But not this. There were too many to help, and too few Yurin L'Ciel's to get the work done. Even Yark Dole Briar had taken a few breaks during the long weeks of work. Not her, she had worked doggedly onward through the whole thing, watching the crackling magnetic storms pass threateningly overhead.

She stepped out of the shelter in a rage, refusing to put on the helmet. If she was going to get disease and die then it was going to happen sooner or later regardless of the precautions. It had become such routine now for her to go back and forth to and from the circular storage bins that she didn't even remember the trip. In the blink of an eye, she was back in the screaming, wailing shelter again, with a bottle of milk, warmed and ready. She handed the container sullenly to the mother, who took it with a disapproving scowl to match Yurin's own brooding visage. "Thank you," the mother said.

"Please try to remember where it is so you can get it yourself," Yurin said testily. "Let your husband take care of the baby."

"He died in the crash," the woman yelled angrily, causing her infant to scream all the louder, which was chorused by many other voices from the crowded room.

"Well at least your child has one parent, try to be a halfway competent one," Yurin told her with a withering glower, stalking out the shelter door as she put on her helmet. Whatever shrieking rebuff the mother dealt Yurin L'Ciel never heard.

She stepped out the door, raised the helmet over her head and stopped. The helmet fell to the floor, and her limp body followed.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Colony Torrian**

Flit Asuno stepped out of the spaceport elevator and looked around the bright, sunny world of Torrian. It was a summer colony, like Nora, although it was almost all city without a single bit of green field or rolling hill. Somehow, it had a feeling more like Tordia. All these factors somehow gave Flit an ominous feeling, putting his mind on edge as it remembered the collective fates of both Torrian's sister colonies.

Kannas was not far away, waiting by a nondescript building where Amadis had the _Stealth _waiting in a private hanger. The preparations were _really _taking a small amount of time. Flit was expecting days, or even weeks before departure. Amadis Largo had not been the aide to the most powerful man on Earth for nothing.

There was a small explosion in the alley, like an RPG going off. Flit held his ears from the pain of the blast and turned to find smoke rising high overhead from a nearby building. Before he or anyone in the nearby area had time to react, Don Boyage staggered from the alleyway, pursued by several hesitant gunmen. He whirled, tore open his sleeve, revealing a wristrocket launcher. Steadying his bloodied arm with a red-stained hand, Boyage yelled and launched the projectile. His arm disappeared in a plume of flame and smoke as the rocket sped into the lead man and blew his head off. Shrapnel flew into the other men, felling them into bloody, screaming heaps as they wallowed in their own blood and torn flesh.

Boyage spun about and staggered toward Flit, his face one of shock and relief.

Then Flit saw him, an old man dressed like a common street thug, with the long, menacing barrel of a sniper rifle, crawling up from around a chimney on the roof of a building directly behind Boyage. The man was ancient, with a stately face, which Flit thought was strange. But he had no time to contemplate the thought. "Boyage! Behind you!"

The haggard man aparantly couldn't hear anymore from the rocket or simply didn't care, reaching out for Flit as the man on the roof took aim. Flit whipped out his own pistol, firing, but the old man on the roof didn't budge an inch and the shots ended up sailing wide.

"I can't sense him!" Flit said in disbelief.

Atop the building, Eldas Drace smiled tightly. "Goodbye, Boyage. If we can't have the device, Flit Asuno won't either."

The bullet struck Boyage in the back of his neck. He pitched forward into Flit's free arm, the other still shooting wildly at their attacker. Several shots struck the old man, but he quickly pulled out of sight and none of the wounds appeared fatal, if not perhaps crippling.

When it was obvious the man was gone, Flit bent down and tried to lift Boyage to a sitting position. There were people crowding around now, women screaming in horror at the bloodied sight of the old man.

Even Flit couldn't resist gasping in shock, his face going pale as he looked over the ruined form of his old benefactor. He had never grown especially close to Boyage, despite the old man's attempts. But it still felt sickening to see a human being rendered _unrecognizable _by various injuries. The man's head and tattered clothes on his left side were horrifically burned, with a terrible blotch on the side of his head extending beneath the now absent skin to the skull. His hand, likewise, was charred black at the little finger and pinkish red on up to where shrapnel had allowed for bleeding to cover up the rest. He seemed to be suffering from horrible internal injury, as if suffering from the close-range affects of a shockwave.

Then there was the hole in the back of his neck.

"Boyage, can you hear me? Who did this to you? Boyage!?" Flit yelled, still not sure if the burned ear was damaged or just temporarily deaf from the wristrocket.

Don Boyage looked up at Flit, a tear coming to his eyes as the old man tried to talk, but no sound was made. Flit felt pure desperation welling up inside him as he realized Boyage didn't know his voice was not carrying. Boyage said something else, a question, then lowered his eyes in defeat.

Then his body convulsed. Flit watched as he saw the old man's life dimming away. Just before he did so, Boyage moved his hand toward the ground with his right hand. A simple balling of the fists allowed the blood to pour forth from the open wounds. With the blood, he started to write.

Another convulsion struck Boyage. Dark blood, almost black trickled from his lips, and the light died in his determined eyes as they fixed on his goal. Even with his soul quenched, the finger still finished its last command.

Flit grabbed at the older man's PDA, hoping there might be text on it he could read, only to find it had taken a bullet to save Boyage's hip.

Solemnly, Flit placed the broken body of the iron-willed warlord of Zalam aside. He turned around and bent over the message even as soldiers from the _Diva, _Kannas at the lead, police, and other spectators crowded forward.

Flit looked at the word written on the ground, Angra. What did that mean? What did this—it occurred to him that Boyage could have called him, or texted but had refused to do so even under conditions that almost assuredly promised he would not make it to Flit. The message, finished, a code, or incomplete was obviously meant for his ears and now his eyes alone. Flit wiped the message away, babbling something about it being the ravings of a dying old man for the sake of the onlookers. Standing up, he looked over at Kannas, who's look told him plainly that it was time to depart, and that Flit would be grieving on the journey to Mars.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the funeral," Flit said wryly at the fallen form of Boyage. "You used to always talk about not making it to Mother's. Take this as poetic justice," he folded the eyes slowly and then turned to go. He and Kannas needed to get away before the other members of the _Diva's _crew arrived.

As Kannas dragged him through a series of buildings, dodging their confused pursuers, one of them a very, very confused Woolf Enneacle, Flit tried to find Emily's presence in the colony, but could not do so.

He had plenty of months to ponder Boyage's message, and he supposed he had something to occupy his time on the long voyage to Mars.


	21. Chapter 20 Outbound

_**Chapter Twenty Outbound**_

* * *

**April 31****st**** AG117-Earth sphere, Colony Torrian, the _Diva_**

_Something is very wrong, _Captain Adams Tinel thought to himself as he stood inside the mobile suit hanger, wondering what in the world just happened to a nineteen meter mobile suit, its egg-shaped repair module, and entire compliment of weapons and armor. It was simply impossible for someone to steel it under the noses of the mechanics without a single person getting suspicious or being alerted, with no camera footage to boot.

But that's exactly what happened.

"Someone is in on this and I won't to know who," Adams muttered, a suspect brewing dangerously in his mind. Was the shocking murder of Don Boyage outside the spaceport part of this? Flit Asuno had been there, distracted, Adams and his new, still inexperienced bridge crew had not been paying attention to the monitors for the better part of two minutes. But even by some stretch of the imagination, that still didn't allow for enough time to spirit away the AGE-1 and Builder. And what about the mechanics who hadn't known about the incident and never left the hanger? Someone turned a blind eye, and Adams felt like ripping it out of whoever had it.

He looked back at the empty hanger brace where Flit's AGE-1 was supposed to be and felt his frustration reach its fever pitch. Nova Omusa and Kannas Westmorland's Genoace units were missing too, along with the Sylph. Not just one, but _four _mobile suits, totally gone.

"VARGAS!?"

* * *

So much for her grades _this _semester. Emily Amonde had made for the Spaceport per Boyage's request, ignoring the sounds of gunfire that drifted closer and further no matter how circuitous her route and no matter how far she ran. Boyage must have been heading for the port himself, and putting up a fight that would be the talk in the city for days to come. Emily, however, would not be at the school to listen to the gossip, which would now be involving her. Not that it mattered, because Emily Amonde had bigger things to worry about.

Her flight through the city had turned into a mad chase. A pair of men in black suits had started following her and she suspected that if she ever went into an alley, they would whip out firearms and shoot her dead. She did eventually turn an alley, a shortcut to the spaceport entrance. As she had, more explosions and gunfire on the other end of the crossroad. Low and behold, there was Flit, being half pulled along by another man around his age, with long, flowing black hair. The two had a contingent of people chasing them, shouting questions. Emily could tell something was up, considering she recognized Woolf Enneacle among those following.

Flit and his cohort had slipped into a dilapidated port entrance leading to a private pier. The door had locked and Woolf looked about ready to beat down the door, had his PDA not rung. After a few seconds of confusion and disbelief, he hung up on the device and began waving the crowd away from the entrance. After a bit, he slipped away when no one important was looking and vanished into another side door built into the building's alleyway. Emily, who decided the whole colony was going mad, rushed across after Woolf. Finding the door still unlocked, she slipped in and shut the door. Finding the door's lock function broken for inexplicable reasons, Emily wondered deeper into the facility until she finally found an elevator shaft.

This not being the first time she snuck after a bunch of military men onto an elevator, Emily had no trouble getting aboard and keeping herself hidden once she reached the space pier. She had been amazed at first upon taking sight of a black _Diva_ class vessel_ , _with white armor guarding its engine block and wing binders, which were placed in an X formation instead of a more streamline fashion like the _Diva. _

She saw the AGE Builder being loaded into a trailer, and snuck over to the device, found a hiding spot underneath and waited as the workmen unwittingly loaded a stowaway onboard the black and white ship.

And now Emily was here, sitting in a corner of the hanger bay in a restroom, desperately hoping the janitor avoided the forever greasy world of the hanger. Emily looked down at the book Boyage had commanded her to bring Flit. It was a crumpled thing, with burnt pages covered in dried blood. If it could be read, what secrets was it going to tell Flit? What could possibly be so important that Boyage would go to such lengths with such horrendous injury?

When a worker would eventually came, she would jump her and use the stolen uniform to find Flit. Having no way to know when and no ability to answer the questions, she opened the book and began to read.

* * *

_**Sing-Lung **_**class battleship, **_**Rowan**_

Eldas Drace sat down inside the warship, which had previously belonged to Don Boyage before his um, expiration. Blood will tell, as the saying went; Tyle Drace had proven himself worthy of the name by coming up with that plan. Having it staged so the entire attack, the murder of Boyage through the back alleys, even the explosion that ultimately claimed Boyage's mansion, looked like the doings of a Blackspace gangster was a simplistic, yet brilliant move. Eldas wasn't even sure beforehand if Tyle was _capable _of such daring ideas. With all his nervous glances, bowing and scraping, Eldas had come to think of the boy as a sniveling underling sort of thing. Well that was rectified now. He gripped his shoulder painfully. If only Flit Asuno was not such a dead aim.

"Captain, take us out of here at full speed. We must be ready to follow the enemy."

"If they are using _Stealths, _we may not find them unless we launch directly with them, Lord Drace."

"Do not question my orders, they are meant to be obeyed," Eldas said, tapping his cane down on the deck, his wise, noble features remaining calm and composed. "My Grandson has placed a tracking device on Flit Asuno's Gundam creation. Wherever the Gundam is, the AGE device is sure to follow."

"Lord Drace, Tyle reports he has just left the _Diva. _Your command?"

"Tell him to join us presently in the Gila. We are going to draw Flit Asuno out, and crush him like an eggshell."

* * *

_**Phalanx **_**class special operations battleship, **_**Silhouette **_

Arms folded, Amadis Largo stood on the bridge, listening to Adams Tinel rant on the other end of the overhead viewscreen. "I could apologize, but that would defeat the purpose of me telling you to calm down and get over it."

"I should have been notified!" Adams retorted vehemently.

"I still don't know why Vargas failed to live up to my expectations," Amadis complained, more to himself than anyone present. He rubbed a hand through his ear-length black hair. "Cut the transmission so we can maintain full stealth capabilities." The operator obeyed, silencing Adams before he could complain further.

"This was a complete success," Amadis admitted for the benefit of the crew. He didn't want them to feel that he was unappreciative of their work. "We were not detained. All we have to do now is point ourselves toward Mars, after linking up with the _Darwins._"

"And figure out how we kill ten months of travel time," Adalbrecht Diamler said, stretching his arms.

* * *

Flit Asuno stepped into his private quarters, with Kannas sleeping in an adjacent cabin. It felt strange as he unloaded his meager belongings. One for not having the AGE device, and second for realizing he would be alone. The feeling of mental weakness settled in, far more unsettling. This was the first time he realized, that he would be sleeping without Kannas' X pressure close at hand. He knew from what Decil said that X-Rounders resonated when close together. But what disturbed him was how powerful Kannas actually was.

He had been lying down for only three minutes, and assumed Kannas was in his own room, when he finally sensed it. Kannas was not like a glowing blast of mental energy; he was a stifling, almost _oppressive _fog that made it hard for Flit's powers to function. No wonder he had not noticed Kannas as an X before they shook hands. Unless one were to sleep _just _outside the field, one would have no way of detecting that invisible cumulus cloud of power.

Then it struck Flit that he could not sense Kannas in battle. He was as invisible as Ivon Alfenoa! Deciding he _had _to know why Kannas was different from all the X-Rounders Flit had met in his lifetime, he went to the door and rapped on it several times. Kannas answered the door almost immediately.

"Can't sleep either?" Kannas asked.

"No, not with that cloud of energy you wrap yourself in. How do you do it?"

Kannas tilted his head in confusion. "Cloud? Were you having a dream?"

"No," Flit said in frustration, grabbing his hair, "I'm talking about you. You're null, like Ivon Alfenoa."

"You mean you can't sense me."

"Exactly! How do you do it? Blanket yourself in your power like that?"

Kannas looked profoundly confused. "I don't really know what you're trying to say about cloud. Actually, I focus on making my presence as small as possible."

"You failed. It's the opposite. Your power covers you like a miasma. You couldn't see it though until you stay still just outside it for a long time."

"I'm not too sure I like the sound of this," Kannas said with an uncertain shuffling of his feet. "My senses were not something I've spent a lot of time contemplating. And I wasn't aware Ivon was 'unsensable', I can feel his presence just fine."

Flit thought a moment on that. He knew Ivon was no X-Rounder, he had shaken hands with or brushed shoulders with him while passing down a hall, and there had been no electric pulse Flit had come to associate with people who had an X-Region. He supposed there would always be things a human could not feel, no matter how many senses they acquired. Problem was, he desperately needed to learn how to counter such a danger on the battlefield.

Thinking about these walking anomalies put the sniper back into his mind, and from there the mysterious word Boyage had died writing. What did "Angra" have to do with him?

The door to Flit's room opened, and a young woman wearing a dirty mechanic's jumpsuit sailed inside, long cream-colored hair flying behind her like a stream. She touched against the far wall and came back, taking hold of Flit's shoulder to pull herself down, as he was wearing magnet-soled shoes.

"E-Emily!?" Flit stammered, so stunned he forgot how to speak. "What are you"-one look into her eyes showed she had something important to tell him. He turned back to Kannas, who was no longer paying attention to him. "Kannas, could you leave us alone?"

The other pilot was staring at Emily's eyes, apparently entranced. Her body looked thin and angelic, but the dirty uniform gave her an independent, intelligent look, not to mention did nothing to hide her long legs, though the ruffles did conceal their graceful aspect. Where had she been on the_ Diva _all this time? Or was she a member of _Silhouette's _crew? Suddenly this dull voyage was going to become far from boring.

Flit cleared his throat.

"Ahem, Kannas…?" Flit narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the other boy.

It took several seconds, but Kannas seemed to snap out of his revere. "Oh," he glanced between the two and suddenly felt the palpable awkwardness of the situation. "I'll leave the two of you to talk," he said quickly, exiting to his room with a hiss from the door as it closed behind him.

Flit waited a moment to see if Kannas would pop back in again, then with a warning look from Emily, went to lock the door while she secured the other.

"How did you get aboard?" Flit asked hoarsely, still not too sure if Kannas could overhear or not. He had the power to suppress another X-Rounder, and Flit was only just now realizing the implications of such a technique. Listening through walls might not be an impossibility for someone like him. "How did you even know we were here?"

"Woolf," Emily said.

"Woolf?" This was the first Flit had heard about him coming along. "Woolf's not part of this."

* * *

"What do you mean you're sending me back?" Woolf Enneacle complained, gesturing angrily. "Well? Give me a good excuse. Come on, don't you have one?"

"Yes," Amadis Largo said simply. "You're our second most skilled pilot and leader of the _Diva's _MS team. Your profile states you dislike melee combat, meaning your use may be limited. It's your duty and to your better interest if you go back to the _Diva_."

"Yeah, I don't like the idea of being called dead weight buddy." Woolf said acidly. He narrowed his feral eyes and stood unmoving.

"If you don't return now, you'll have to make due with a Genoace. The G-Exes was not loaded"-

-Woolf immediately raised his hands in defeat. "I've got no luggage so I'll take the next shuttle."

"One is already waiting," Amadis said.

* * *

**Colony Torrian The **_**Diva**_

Milias opened the hatch to her Gundam, thoroughly confused and slightly hurt. Flit and a number of the crew had been transferred? Without a single notice? Adams wasn't very good at bluffing, so she assumed something else had happened. He would have to tell the crew the truth eventually, once the rumors started circulating that it was some top secret mission or what have you. Regardless, she felt left out. Had Flit not seen it fit to tell her because he didn't think of her as a competent pilot?

"He's always playing hero," she said, drifting inside unit II. Her HARO came to life with a flicker from its mooneye camera and floated up from its socket on the side of the cockpit near the right-hand control yoke.

"Officer, Ensign Asuno has placed an important resource in your care. Please take custody." The Haro opened its storage compartment and floated upwards, letting the AGE device drift out.

Milias took the device and cradled it in one hand, surprised. "What does this mean? Haro, did the Ensign leave any explanation or instruction?"

"Yes, he left a detailed pamphlet to guide me in the process of installing the AGE System into your machine. I have done so. You have only to keep the device secure from theft or damage."

"I see," Milias said absently. "Have you run a diagnostics check on the Gundam?"

"I have. All systems are green and ready for combat. The Razor Wear is combat ready. The Gundead is combat ready, with plasma output at maximum. The Starks Wear is functional, however the knee thrusters on the left leg are not properly synced and are prone to misfire. This causes a decrease in maneuverability by 5.2 %. I have sent a diagnostics report to Chief Mechanic Dique. The problem will be corrected shortly."

"Thank you," Milias said with a sigh. She looked down at the device. Flit must believe he would be away from combat for a long time if he was willing to give her this device. Where did he go? She assumed Vargas or Adams knew, and reached for th comm. switch.

* * *

Woolf Enneacle maneuvered the shuttle through a cloud of drifting debris, the remnant to some space liner after a pirate crew finished sapping it for air. Something beeped on his console, and he magnified a flickering star up ahead, transforming it into a picture of a green _Sing-Lung _coming fast.

"What are they doing here?" Woolf wondered, dashing down into the debris cloud, which was sailing absently in the direction of the _Silhouette. _A pair of mobile suits shot overhead, both Gila by the look of them, one being painted a gaudy gold, with what looked like an IWSP pack on its shoulders and back, with a bazooka, three missile launchers, and a pair of beam guns. It also had two extra thrusters on its back that looked to be giving in impressive speed, and the machine clutched what looked like a claw, folded back over its arm, and in the other hand a flail. The second machine seemed to be towing several small asteroids, and also possessed a claw on its right arm, folded back around the wrist. Grappling claws?

"Grappling claws!" Woolf realized, snapping his fingers. He believed Flit and the others could handle the Gila, and didn't really have a choice, his only weapon being a machinegun turret mounted on the ship's posterior above the engines, a last-ditch counter for missiles and maybe a lame Genoace. Pressing a switch, a hatch opened in the shuttle's roof and fired off a flare.

* * *

**The _Silhouette_**

Flit Asuno felt the danger spike before the warning called on the speakers, bringing the ship to Level 1 combat alert. "I have to go," he told Emily, and leapt up from the chair by the bed, where she had been telling him the details of her encounters with Boyage. The secret about Angra was hidden in there, he was positive. Flit pushed it out of his mind as he sailed through the halls. There would be more than enough time on the trip to figure this mystery out.

* * *

With a flash, the Gundam AGE-1 dashed from the open catapult deck, arcing down toward the incoming machines, both Gila, one of which appeared to be quite heavily armed.

"So, this is the AGE-1," an old, aristocratic voice drawled from over the comm. "Let us see if you hold up to my high expectations, Flit Asuno." The IWSP Gila dashed forward, launching a spiked ball from its left arm as it whipped overhead. Flit sent the Gundam spiraling out of the way. The ball reached the end of its chain, verniers activated and sent it below the AGE-1, where three port holes opened up around its central spike and fired a hail of bullets. Caught off guard by the remote weapon, Flit struggled to regain control as the kinetic force knocked the Gundam about, making it increasingly difficult to dodge the wave of missiles spewing from the Gila.

Then the second machine swept in, beam tomahawk raised to slice through the Gundam's head. Flit dashed up, only to have the first Gila's remote weapon slither up into his face and unleash another round of fire, knocking him back into the pursuing enemy, who slashed off the Gundam's spoiler with three deft hacks. Flit back kicked the enemy in the chest, spun around to fire underneath his shoulder, only to have the DODS blast sail wide of its mark.

An asteroid loomed up, and Flit was about to kick it away when warning flew up his senses as the piece of rock exploded, unleashing a tangling mass of wires. Flit backpedaled, firing his DODS rifle to blow away the entangling strands. Behind him, the Gila leveled off its bazooka and fired a round. Flit spun to see the incoming warhead erupt into four segments, spreading a net to entrap the Gundam.

* * *

Tyle Drace finally caught up with the _Rowan__, _which had slowed to rendezvous with him. His Gila touched down inside the mobile suit deck, where his new machine lay in wait. He didn't expect his Grandfather to fail, the Draces were legendary mobile suit aces, after all.

* * *

"You people don't give up," Flit grunted, jetting away from the Gila as it fired another net. Flit blasted it with his rifle, then spun to slash the other machine's tomahawk away with his bayonet.

"We will reclaim what is rightfully ours," the pilot of the first Gila thundered, rocketing up at him with a flash of beam cannon fire from its shoulder mounted guns. "We've had setback after setback for seventy years! Zalam will revive! And you hold the greatest asset! Give us the device and we will not harm your comrades aboard the ship."

Flit winced as the second Gila unleashed a furious series of saber slashes, driving him further back, and then to be entangled by the Gila's mace as it slinked in and wrapped its chain about the Gundam's ankle.

"So you're the people who have been after the AGE device," Flit said darkly, firing his DODS rifle again to rip off the second Gila's arm. Another well-placed blast tore the limb apart.

Flit glanced around, but couldn't find the _Silhouette _anywhere. A wave of missiles flew up from the IWSP Gila, forcing him back on the defensive.

* * *

Among other features, the _Silhouette, _like all ships of its class, was equipped with a new type of beam weapon that flashed a dull, purple hue, making it relatively harder to spot. The beams were denser than regular beams, giving them more kinetic force to make up for the lack of energy pumped into the charged particles, thus giving them their lesser glow. As such they were not as hot and did not appear on sensor boards quite as easily as their hotter variant. The beams were, surprisingly, somewhere near twice or even three times the strength of a regular beam cannon, did not overheat and thus gunners clocked the recharge time in moments rather than in the double digit seconds.

Unfortunately this was where the advantages ended. To counterbalance the effectiveness, the range of the beams was drastically reduced, as the particles had nothing to keep them from thinning out quickly upon discharge, and they were harder to maintain. This meant to effectively engage a ship, Amadis Largo and Adalbrecht Diamler would have to get the _Silhouette _relatively close to the enemy.

This was, of course, how the _Silhouette _ was designed to function, so Amadis didn't really have any worries. However, he had not come all this way to sustain damage in a battle. They would have difficulty rearming and making repairs, one reason he had forbidden Ivon Alfenoa and the other pilots from launching. Better to keep their machines in as good a condition as possible.

"Recall Flit," Amadis commanded after a moment's final debate. "We can't afford to dock at port. " _There's no telling what Luli Jasmine might think of this venture. And I still don't fully trust that there are no spies among us. For all we know, the Vagan could have infiltrated us during the time of the UE scandal. _

"I would not suggest it," Adalbrecht Diamler said, sitting across from him in the captain's chair. "I think I know who these people are. We should strike now that they are out in the open, if we fail to kill them here, they will harry us our entire journey or wait until we return to make an attempt at the AGE device. We should put Flit Asuno's worries to rest and deal with this little threat."

"But-

-have faith in me, Commander. You chose me as captain of the _Silhouette, _now let me handle the battle. Move us forward, flank speed. Try not to let them detect us until we are within firing range."

* * *

The Gundam AGE-1 rushed up above the wave of fire, Flit pushing down the mounting frustration as the firing reticle darted across the screen to target the Gila as it weaved elegantly through Flit's rapid fire blasts. The green halo kept flashing, but with each flash he failed to land a hit. Then the enemy released its thrusters, armor, and excess weapons, drawing a sword, with flashed beam energy across its edges. Green mooneye flashing, the Gila rushed up to meet him. Flit drew his own beam saber and stopped the Gundam with a burst of exhaust from its feet.

"Why do you want the AGE device so badly?" Flit roared, firing with his rifle as the enemy advanced. "It can't possibly be worth this!"

"You know nothing!" The pilot bellowed. "On my honor as a Drace, I will crush you as the last obstacle to _absolute victory_!"

With a shower of sparks, the two machine's crossed blades. The sword sailed straight through the beam saber, Flit narrowly hurled the Gundam backward, the sword passing just in front of the cockpit, scoring a cut across its armor.

* * *

Tyle Drace growled his irritation as his grandfather's wingmate guided his damaged Gila back toward the _Sing-Lung, _missing an arm where the Gundam had speared it with a beam javelin, the incompetent oaf. Suddenly a dull, purple beam cannon blast incinerated the Gila before Tyle's startled eyes. With a growl, he sent his machine streaking off the ship's catapult deck. The enemy's warship had snuck up beside them without being detected. How it had moved around so easily to within striking distance was anybody's guess.

He fired a blast from the DODS rifle, only to see the enemy unleash a torrent of fire of its own. The _Sing-Lung _bucked under the blasts and began to break apart in bursts of flame. A volley of beam cannon fire from the ship's main guns above its bridge window and underside struck the Zalam warship and blew it apart in a wave of shrapnel.

Cursing as he sent his mobile suit backpedaling, Tyle ground his teeth and turned toward the duel. Grandfather needed help, and if he waited too long, Tyle would be fighting both Flit Asuno and the enemy warship alone.

* * *

Flit drove the beam javelin forward, only to have the enemy mobile suit snatch it just below the glowing beam energy and stab at the Gundam's chest with its sword. "After all this time we will have it at last!" The man roared in triumph.

"I can't sense him," Flit muttered in anger, dodging another swipe. Who was this man? A Drace like Largan, the man had said. "Wait," Flit felt his face twist in rage. "Who are you? Were you the one who killed Don Boyage?!"

The Gila swept under a DODS beam and nearly hacked off the AGE-1's rifle arm. "Indeed, I shot him in the back of the throat. You shot me in the shoulder"—the man appeared on screen, where Flit could see him fighting with only one arm on the yoke, the other clutching his shoulder—"I could not allow him to reach you. Truly, I had more patience with him than was wise."

"You fiend," Flit hissed, spiraling away as the Gila rushed in. "You can't be forgiven for this!"

"Neither can you!" The Gila charged. Flit rushed in, stabbing at the enemy's shoulder joint on its sword arm as it swung in a lateral slice. Without warning, the enemy let go of his sword, grabbed the saber arm and stopped it cold. The Gila ignited a beam tomahawk in its other hand, mooneye flashing with a battlecry from its pilot. Flit disconnected the AGE-1's trapped arm and rushed over the head of the Gila as its axe descended on nothing, spun around and raised his beam rifle to unleash a series of rapid fire DODS beams.

The pilot shrieked in rage as the Zalam machine's legs and left arm disappeared in bursts of flame. "I-I am Eldas Drace! Scion of the noble tradition! You can't defeat me," he bellowed, dashing forward, whipping out a beam saber. "I cannot allow you to survive!" Eldas looked down in his cockpit to see the _Sing-Lung _disappear in a blast of flame. It was all almost over, but Tyle still had a chance. "We will claim the device even if it costs us our lives!" Eldas shrieked as he slashed wildly against the Gundam's saber. "For the sake of our Empress! Of our Pride as Zalam!"

Flit drove the blade into the enemy's elbow and obliterated the joint. "Even if you defeat me, the AGE device isn't here, I left it with the second AGE Gundam."

"You—WHAT?" The pilot went silent for a moment, then screamed with rage. "Tyle! We've failed. Destroy him!" Flit fired his DODS rifle, but the Gila dodged it and rushed in, mooneye blazing. "Destroy him at _all_ _cost_!"

Flit widened his eyes in disbelief as the enemy suddenly flipped up its legs and grabbed him in a scissor hold. "Hail Empress Issishar! Glory to the Axis"-the Gila disappeared in a ball of white light.

* * *

"This is"-Nova Omusa stared on a wall monitor, watching the AGE-1 bank away from the fireball that had been the Gila. "His machine is damaged," she said, whirling toward Ivon Alfenoa, who stood arms crossed, watching the scene unfold with a pleasant smile. "We need to launch."

"So you get upset when you find your comrades in danger, even if you don't know them from Adam," Ivon said with a smirk.

"I know Flit Asuno. He is a member of my team! A loner like you couldn't understand!" She whirled away and started for the catwalk.

"I buck orders regularly, but I see the sense in not overtaxing all our machines. Why don't we wait and see if Asuno is as a good a pilot as he says he is."

"He might be unconscious," Nova said, turning back to him before continuing on in silent rage.

* * *

Flit Asuno, bleary-eyed and sick with the feeling he had just been punched groggily sat up and looked at the right-hand monitor to see a copper and brass machine with the face of a Gundam charging at him.

The Sylph swept in and leveled off its rifle. Flit quickly grabbed the battered AGE-1's controls and drew back from the yellow DODS blast. The beam sailed past with speed far greater than the AGE-1's rifle, leaving Flit to wonder what in the world the enemy was using. Had Maria improved on the Gundam's design that much so quickly?

"I can't let you survive, Flit Asuno!" A voice screamed on the other end. "After coming this far we cannot turn back. But if our quest to revive Zalam ends here then so shall your life!" A pair of beam blades sprouted from the Sylph's forearms, but Flit blocked them with the rifle's bayonet and dashed backward, angling for the missing arm, which was still drifting nearby. He reconnected the appendage under a wave of fire. The Sylph dashed up again, raising its beam blades to slice the Gundam in half.

A flurry of beam bolts peppered the brightly colored Gundam's back, forcing the Sylph into a dive to avoid the fire. Flit fired his remaining DODS blast, but the Sylph angled away and returned the blast with several of its own.

"This is the end! Flit Asuno! I must destroy you, at all cost you cannot be allowed to learn what power you possess!" Tyle shrieked, diving for the AGE-1. Suddenly the Amembo rammed into the Sylph, followed closely by Nova Omusa's brown Genoace. She thrust with a beam saber, only to see it parried and her mobile suit knocked back with a brutal kick to the shoulder. Tyle turned to attack Flit as the AGE-1 separated from its limbs, but the Genoace sailed back up, Nova firing its rifle. The Sylph raised its left tonfa blade, flattening it, expanding it until in became a fan covering the front of the Gundam, blocking the beam bolts with ease.

"A shield," Nova observed, she narrowed her eyes and set her teeth as she sent the Genoace dashing through a wave of beam blasts from the Sylph.

Meanwhile, the Amembo neatly set the Starks Wear parts onto the Gundam, and backed away as the blue machine lit its eyes and took off with burst of light.

Tyle Drace laughed as he sent the Genoace spinning away, the crippled machine missing its head and both legs. He turned back to the AGE-1, ready to face it. The Starks roared in, drew its bazooka and fired one of its glowing blasts. Tyle nimbly dodged, pumping DODs rifle fire at the enemy.

"I have a mission to complete of my own!" Flit yelled into the comm. "I promised to destroy these Vagan until there are none left to threaten the Earth Sphere. Get out of my way!" He hit the accelerator. The thrusters on either side of the Starks ignited in a white eruption, jetting the Starks at the Sylph with a roar. Flit drew the Reiber and plunged it at the enemy, who created a beam shield from its left tonfa blade. Tyle Drace barely had time to scream as the Starks swept passed, the spear tearing a hole through the Sylph's copper torso. It blew apart in an instant, leaving a trail of flames in the white trail of the Starks as it dashed ahead. Flit angled back slowly and spun the Gundam twice, cutting the engines, stopping short.

Flit looked at the wreckage of the Sylph, and pondered the Drace men's words in his mind. They had sacrificed everything to stop him. But what could be so important? He supposed Largan must have felt the same way. He angled the dark blue Gundam toward Nova's drifting Genoace and took off. This distraction was finally over, and they had a long leg of their journey yet to cover.

* * *

Flit was surprised to find Emily absent of his cabin when he returned, though the book remained where they left it. He took it from the form clamp and opened the book, carefully turning the pages. It had taken quite a beating, and many of the pages were illegible near the end, the part he most needed to read. He began his search for "Angra" and if the manuscripts could shed any light on what it was. Unfortunately, this soon proved too difficult. He decided to start from the beginning and see where this led him.

Most of the journal entries were a bit mundane. It was his father's diary, Alfred Asuno, but that held little interest to him. He had never met his father, his mother never spoke much about him, and Flit had grown up with the Gundam as his obsession, not his family heritage. And lastly, Alfred Asuno appeared to be one of those dull, lifeless personalities. He seemed to be totally and completely computerized, with not a touch of humor or interest in everyday life that a normal person writes in their journal. There were mundane details about things like how many eggs the cook had used to prepare an omelet, or if the curtains had been moved from a precise angle. There were other far from mundane excerpts about his life with Marina, particularly bits and pieces about how he met her and Maria during collage.

And then there were the numbers, calculations, equations, theories, mobile suit schematics and other paraphernalia that Flit found of interest on an engineering level but nothing substantial enough to hint at a broader scheme of things. He had gone through nearly a third of book when he finally gave up and closed it. He would try again later. In the meantime he might as well seek Emily out wherever she was, and hopefully that would not lead to the brig. He should also explain to Amadis and Adalbrecht how she had gotten aboard. She could not come with them to Mars, so he would have to get her off somehow.

The door hissed open and Emily drifted inside, floating over to him where he floated near the bed. "Where were you?" Flit asked. "If Adalbrecht sees you he'll know for certain who you are."

"I already talked to the Captain. From this moment forward the uniform is official," she rubbed her sleeve between her fingers. "I will make sure to keep the Gundam up and running so you can concentrate on your father's journal."

"Hold on Emily, this is serious. You can't expect me to let you come along on this mission. We don't even know what Mars is like or what will happen there!"

"I'm as curious as the rest of you." She replied simply, as if that summed it all up.

"I won't allow this. What would I do if you were killed?"

"Hey, you never were bothered me tagging along when we attacked Ambat," retorted Emily. "I've been in as many dangerous situations as you."

"And one of those could be the death of you," Flit argued, floating over to grab her arm. "I'm going to convince Amadis or Adalbrecht to send you back. You're a civilian."

"Not right now," Emily protested.

"Go back to Torrian, Emily. I told you to wait for me there, not follow me into the heart of danger where I can't keep you safe. When this over I'll come back and"-

-Emily pushed over, grabbed him by the shoulders and sent them both sailing into the wall. Her hand whipped out, smacking him across the face. "Stop treating me like a prize you can come back and claim!" She yelled.

The two of them stared at each other in breathless silence as Emily slowly drifted away. Finally he sighed closed his eyes for a moment. "Is this what you have planned for this voyage?" he put his hand in his hair.

"You neglected me at Torrian, so I've decided to berate you for the entire trip. And stop pulling your hair, it's a bad habit. By the time you leave you will have come upon a new comprehension for the meaning of respect and understanding of your significant other."

With that, she turned those fierce, beautiful blue eyes away and floated out of the room without so much as a pause.

Kannas entered the room not long later, having apparently listened to the whole thing. "That could have gone better," he said.

"Yes," Flit replied absently, glancing askew at Kannas so he could take the hint not to listen behind doors again.

"Any idea where you messed up?"

"She wanted me to attend high school with her, but I chose this instead and now she feels mad that I want to protect her from what we both lived through until recently. Any ideas?"

"No. Maybe you should have married her-not that I'm telling you to do that at all."

"I'm sure," Flit said, eyeing Kannas' face with a bit of worry. "If you're thinking of getting to know her more…don't do it. She nags. This is normal for her."

"Sounds awful." Kannas said.

Flit noted that the other pilot didn't appear so horrified. He grabbed at his hair with his hand. This was getting difficult and very troublesome for a man who needed to unravel the death of a friend, and the treason of dead comrade whos kin he had just killed.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Big Ring**

Cedrick Fondor leaned against the window of the elevator rising up Big Ring's Earthward side, staring at the cloudstreaked sky of the world he ruled. How many men dreamt of this sight throughout history yet failed to climb high enough? This privilege of God to gaze down upon the Earth and say, "Everything beneath, bows unto me."

And this Prime Minister was a playboy? A drunkard who couldn't take an extraterrestrial threat seriously? Poor Amadis, with not an ounce of true faith, and by extension Luli Jasmine, Simba Tapiwa, and whoever else fell for the act. The people didn't, they knew a trueborn leader when they saw one. What Amadis and Jasmine failed to see was that the drunkard was the act, not the speeches that kept the Earth in check.

He had enjoyed his games with Jasmine, really he had. It was the only thing _to _do. He didn't trust Angra Zenon anymore than he could physically grab the Deathstar-esc Superweapon and throw it, so calling it down and holding the world hostage meant nothing. Besides, he already ruled the world. The thing's controller was long missing regardless, and even his most desperate of searches turned up nothing, save that wherever Issishar Ezelcant hid it was a damn good place. Granted, the controller was so small it could be pretty much _anywhere _if it was anywhere by this point. For all he knew, and half suspected, it was long destroyed by some poor fool who didn't realize they were holding the world at their fingertips. That, or Issishar had truly obliterated it once she realized the game was up for her, which fit well into what he knew of her character.

The elevator was almost at the top, where Fondor would take control of the situation. He needed to have a chat with Jasmine, but that would have to wait until he found out where she was hiding. Grodek Ainoa's survival and Simba Tapiwa's death were cute developments. What truly interested him now was his very own assistant.

Amadis was off playing hero, which was fine. Fondor knew well that the Vagans couldn't hope to win in the long run, not with their crippled production power and what with Mars being a deathtrap of his predecessors' making. Really, the only thing left to do was make sure the populace did not buy into Ezelcant's proclamation about the Federation's abject corruption. This was where being a handsome, charismatic orator came in. People would believe _proven lies _if he said it with a sincere smile and focused eyes, with the news media hanging on his every word.

And if this battle with the Vagan ended too soon for him, he would move on to better things, perhaps the wider galaxy. But to do that, he had to find a way to deal with Angra Zenon, and since he could not do that he might as well enjoy stringing people along until he could reform his plans for Cleansing. It had been his idea, at least for the most part. Amadis knew, but Amadis was going to be dead when his usefulness ran out. Once the population of the Earth Sphere decreased enough, Fondor could begin raking in untold wealth and benefits. It would be a more tidy, less social security-ridden universe.

And when he finished with that, the fun didn't stop there. He had the EXA-DB at his fingertips, or nearly so. That monster guardian the Federation had seen fit to unleash could only do so much, and the database could be found rather easily once Fondor set the whole of the Federation's vast resources on the hunt. Ract Elfamel was looking for a needle, nay, half a needle in a very large haystack. His pirate crew would do poorly at that job.

But Jasmine first, because her lunar stunt with the terraformer was something he could not let slip passed. How she kept something like that hidden from him was anyone's guess, but when she was screaming in pain at his feet in his bunker 'neath Brucia, he would get it out of her, one gasp of agony at a time.

He refocused his thoughts, plastered an overconfident smile on his face, and forgot what he was thinking about during the entire elevator ride. The door hissed open and he stepped out, extending his hand to greet Big Rings commanding officer, who didn't realize this "honor" he called Fondor's visit, was actually the precurser to his demotion. Fondor had someone else in mind to control Big Ring, someone he needed to remain loyal to the end.

The best way to act like you were a fool, was to think like one. So Cedrick Fondor cracked jokes with the commander, casting aside his greater ambitions, where they could fester deep within the back of his mind.

* * *

**The Moon, Fardain**

The report on his monitor made An Grams' skin crawl. The pictures in front of him were taken from one of his cloaked scouting units. There were three of them total, two black _Darwin _class and a black and white ship that resembled the now infamous _Diva, _only with outturned wings that gave it an X profile when facing it head on like the cameras had been on several occasions. Nixean McArver and Medel Zant stepped into the room, both crossed their chests with their fists in salute.

"You summoned us, Supreme Commander?" Inquired McArver with his usual clipped tone. He cast an accusing glance at Zant, who stood by almost lazily.

"You receive the same reports, so you are aware of the black Federation unit that just left the Earth sphere."

"Of course, Lord Grams."

"We must assume they are on a mission of sabotage. I am dispatching you and an escort of the _Rondo's _pilots to Mars. Tail them and see what they are up to."

"I must protest, Sir," McArver said with a frown. "A mission like this is more suited to a, a commander of lower station than myself."

"Enough," An Grams said with finality. "If we cannot communicate with Mars over long distance than we must commute there and ascertain the severity of the situation. I don't believe the damage is as bad as all that, but the storms are causing interference and we must make contact, to see about Zul Dahala. We need as many forces as we can manage."

"But following those slower Federation ships is going to be boring," Zant said with eyes half open. "Can't we just destroy them? Or do you want to observe their methods of sabotage?"

"That," An Grams said. "We still don't know everything about the enemy. The Moon is a very clear example."

"True," McArver admitted.

"You depart at once," An Grams said, dismissing them. When they had gone, he settled back into his seat and groaned softly. This was growing more and more frustrating. There would be no more orders from Mars. Ezelcant was asleep, possibly not to reawaken for years. Zul Dahala might be in ruins thanks to the disaster, which meant all he would have to work with was Fardain and its limited forces. The work to remove all the debris from the colony interior was _still _going on, and it was a gruesome task that made many of the laborers sick. There were two active production facilities, but other than the shield generators, Fardain had produced very little in the way of resources.

Ezelcant had been right, An Grams didn't know enough about the Earth Sphere to achieve a successful victory without significant troop numbers to work with. He had to hit hard somewhere, somewhere that would cripple the enemy. The Moon was only half fortified, the small outposts he had planted served mostly to spread his forces thinner than they already were. Once Zul Dahala arrived, he would have enough resources to launch a full-scale offensive. But what to do until then? Wait until the enemy started draining the lava from Tycho Crater? He had to think of something, but the more he tried the thicker the brick wall became.

* * *

**The **_**Nightingale**_**, entering Sargo Restricted Zone**

Grodek Ainoa frowned in the chair beside Angrazzo Lambro on the bridge of the Bisidian pirate vessel. The Sargo Zone floated in front of them, an eerie, green field of debris. It was the Bermuda Triangle of the Solar System, a place where ghastly experiments went wrong sometime before the Silver Chalice. It was banned territory to everyone, which made it the perfect place for people like the Bisidian, Grodek supposed. The Federation routinely ignored the place, for good reason. There were all sorts of stories and rumors told about the Sargo. It was rumored several biological habitat research colonies remained functional, and that some of their inhabitants actually dwelt there, mutant animals bred by crazed scientists, disease that left entire ships drifting coffins for their crew, and ghosts blasting ships out of the sky without warning.

Grodek didn't know about the first three, but he suspected the ghost stories were based on encounters with SID or things like SID. The strange beam fire that attacked Wooten Seers' Special Forces fleet at Minsry was one such example that there were things lurking in the darkness of space no one fully understood.

"I wish we had better places to go," Angrazzo muttered.

"Hey," Guss said, piping up, "You're not the one who has to navigate. Try it from this end."

"I-I'm not sure I get how to work all these systems," Ginger said hesitantly from Mozart Killisk's console.

"Where's Mozart?" Mhatt Oliver asked. "Didn't he show you how to work it?"

"Yes and no, kinda," Ginger replied, clearing up the matter perfectly for Grodek. The boy was scared and jittery at going into a place like the Sargo on his first time operating as a member of the bridge crew. It was fairly plastered on his young face.

"It's been years since we were last here," Angrazzo intoned. "I wish we didn't have to come back at all."

"What hazards can we expect?" Grodek asked. "Ract was not specific."

"Ract was afraid and skipped town on us at Minsry," Angrazzo growled dourly. "I wish I'd joined him."

"We should have hidden those monoliths someplace else," complained Mhatt. "If that Jasmine woman is following, do you think she'll attack?"

"She certainly is keeping a low profile," Grodek said, looking down as he rubbed at his ever scragglier beard. "Your contacts out here might know something on her movements. If she is following, I doubt she will strike until we lead her to the monoliths."

"Let's hope so," Angrazzo said. "Cuz I'll be spending the next two weeks fighting off mutiny if we don't get anything."

"Don't treat us that bad, Captain," Guss said with a shake of his head.

"You worry too much," Yianna added. "There's no way we would throw you off the ship in the Sargo."

Mhatt Oliver didn't say anything, just stared at Angrazzo's back, eyes twinkling.

* * *

A flash of beam fire ripped through the darkness, impaling the _Nightingale _just as it entered the green haze surrounding the eerie Sargo Zone's outermost wreckage. One of the ship's beam cannons went critical, blossoming into a column of fire.

"I didn't see anything on the scanners!" Guss yelled, grabbing hold of the console to keep from flying off as Yianna pulled the ship into a series of drastic maneuvers.

"We lost starboard cannon no. 2," Ginger yelled. "Engine room reports damage! Wait-that's the storage room. The larder's been hit!"

"Oh I'm mad now," Mhatt pumped his fist in the air. "All weapons charging to 74% and rising! Let's blow these guys to hell!"

"Hold your fire until we get a clear shot, they might be Bisidian," Angrazzo commanded, gripping his seat as the _Nightingale _jerked away from another incoming volley.

"Someone's hailing us," Yianna said, breaking her concentration to glare at Ginger. Nothing happened as the boy continued fiddling with the controls. Yianna glowered harder, "Incoming Signal! That's you Gin-

-I know that! But it's not, oh-here it is."

The auxiliary monitor above the forward viewport lowered and flashed to life, Luli Jasmine appeared in a ship's captain's chair, fingertips pressed together, one leg draped over the other. "What a coincidence, Grodek Ainoa, and Angrazzo Lambro, is it?" Her smile vanished. "You followed me here, impressive, but unacceptable. Surrender and I give you my word to capture you and not blast you out of the heavens."

"Where _is _she?" Demanded Angrazzo, turning toward Guss, raising his eye patch to glower at his sensor operative with both eyes.

"The layout of the bridge around her is similar to this one, disregarding all the modifications you made," Grodek said, carefully observing the background around Jasmine. "She is aboard a _Darwin Stealth _like ourselves."

"Correct," Jasmine said with a what appeared to be slight agitation.

"We are at an advantage," Grodek said quickly to Angrazzo. Get our ship to move to the right at full speed."

Angrazzo looked like he might refuse, but Yianna took the command into her own hands and sent the _Nightingale _swooping around to its right. As she did, Grodek stared hard at the screen, watching as Luli's eyes flicked slightly to the left and up.

She smiled slightly, "Trying to run-

-Angle 65 degrees three points of starboard beam!" Grodek shouted, watching Luli's face widen for a moment in surprise. "There! Oliver fire!"

"Aye," Mhatt cried. The _Nightingale's _weapons turned and fired a pulsing wave of beam energy.

"Fire missiles around the targeted zone," Grodek commanded. "Dillon switch to visuals and look for dark patches in the stars, ignore heat signatures and watch for where the beam fire aims from! Ginger-

-launching mobile suits," Ginger said. "Largan and Nike's units are under maintenance," Ginger said after a moment. He pressed a switch, then another, muttering and cursing the layout, "Misty, you're clear to-

-We're not here for a battle," Angrazzo protested, finally regaining control of the situation. "Make for the Sargo, Yianna!"

Yianna growled as she angled away from more blasts and sent the _Nightingale _speeding toward the debris.

"Found them," Guss said, "Heading right below us, it's a _Stealth _alright."

Mhatt licked his lips and unleashed another volley of beam fire, forcing the enemy ship to bank away on the retreat, one of its sides glowing where a beam grazed the hull.

Everyone visibly relaxed a bit as they entered the field, angling toward the remains of a giant colony easily twice the size of Fardain when whole, the piece of wreckage missing all but two miles of its length and circular spaceport. A plethora of wires and green vegetation, all frozen in space, drifted where the missing portion of the colony should have been, like the intestines to some giant animal.

"We'll hide in there," Angrazzo pointed at a small colony perhaps a mile in length, rotating at an unusually slow rate. It had a set of four pylon-shaped mirror panels located at its tip, facing perpendicular to the cylender's length, rather than angled like a regular island 3 type colony.

"By the way, Grodek," Angrazzo said, glancing over at him, "Try to remember I am captain of the _Nightingale._"

"I apologize, force of habit," Grodek said, closing his eyes.

"Don't mention it, that was a pretty sick stunt you pulled."

"Couldn't have done it even if you tried," Mhatt scoffed.

Ginger and the others gave him a consolidated glare.

"What? I wouldn't have thought to do that either." Mhatt looked amiably at Angrazzo, who stared back with a tight smile before turning back in his seat.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Milias Alloy sat up from the chair in Adams' cabin and resisted the urge to chew her lip in irritation at being left out of the whole plot. "I guess I didn't inspire enough confidence to get told any of this."

"Come on Milias, they only told me so I wouldn't bust in after them. Have some backbone," Woolf said, getting up from his chair, floating over her. He patted her on the head as he sailed past.

Resisting the urge to swipe at him, Milias looked back to Adams. "So you really didn't know either?"

"Trust me, I would not have allowed Flit to leave otherwise," Adams said from behind the desk. "I was furious, so Vargas decided to confide in me rather than listen to a rant."

"Your first time throwing your rank's weight around?" Milias asked with a half-humored smile.

"No, well, it didn't feel like that. It was more like my first captain's tantrum. It felt strange, yelling at Vargas as if he were an underling."

"He is," Woolf said with a thumbs-up, "Isn't pulling rank fun?"

Adams and Milias both shot Woolf a glare, knowing it would probably only encourage him.

Woolf shrugged before putting his hands in his pockets, "I never took you for a tyrant, Adams. Did you slap Vargas?"

"No," Adams said, irritation rising at Woolf.

"He might slap you though if you don't behave," Milias said, taking a threatening step forward. "And I might anyway."

"I'm up for that," Woolf said with a feral grin.

Milias leapt forward, hand whipping toward his face, but Woolf caught it and kissed her on the knuckles before dashing back toward the door, which opened and let him sail to the safety of the hall.

"I swear I could break his neck," Milias said angrily, wiping her hand on her pants. "He's irrepressible sometimes."

"Want me to talk to him?"

"He's better than the trainers at Maximus and Agrissa," Milias said, turning back. She gave a half smile, "Besides, I think he likes me."

Adams groaned and covered his eyes, "Please, no drama. I can't handle filling all sorts of crazed reports."

"Worried about an 'incident'?"

"Every time he opens his mouth is an incident," Adams said, missing the implication. "Don't make any mistakes, Milias."

Milias nodded and turned to go, but not before stopping to take in the picture of Adams sitting at the desk, the captain's hat on his head, arms folded. "You're making a good captain, Adams," she said, before stepping out.

* * *

**The Moon, Fardain**

Medel Zant stretched and put on his uniform, fitted the shoulder robe around him properly and stepped out into the hall. He met Martha Reed on the catwalk in front of their Gafrans, which stood at attention in the semi-darkness, light gleaming off their green and blue armor.

"Ready to go?" He asked, noticing that she was clinching her bicep as if in pain, though her face was unreadable. He started for his Gafran, only to have her grab his arm. "What's wrong? We need to hurry, those Terran ships will be hard to track."

"I know," she said, voice wavering. She let go of his arm and he turned around to face her. "I have this feeling..that we shouldn't go back to Mars."

Zant felt a strange knot forming in the pit of his stomach. "What do you mean? You turning into an X-Rounder too?"

"It's nothing to do with X-Rounders," Martha said, looking down. "I can't describe it. What if something happens?"

Zant smiled and placed his hands on her shoulders, she started and looked up at him. "Don't worry, I'll protect you so long as I'm with you."

"I don't need protecting," she said, taking hold of his arms to brush them off, but he wouldn't let go.

"Of course you do, everyone does on the battlefield, that's why we have teammates. Keep watching my back, Martha, and I'll always feel safe."

"Thanks," Martha said, some of her usual fire restored. "Please—don't get reckless."

"We're going home, barring Angra Zenon, what surprises could there be?" He patted her on the shoulder and started for his machine again.

* * *

**May 2****nd****, AG117-The **_**Silhouette**_

Emily Amonde placed the remains of her lunch into a dispenser, sending the plates off to the kitchens. She turned to find Kannas Westmorland approaching, sailing up with his own tray of food. "This makes things a bit easier," he said. "The Haros aren't very apt at carrying trays back where they belong. We ended up finding them all stacked in some storage closet."

"Sounds like him—them," Emily said.

"Emily, you and Flit are the same age, why didn't he decide to finish high school with you? He said that was what you wanted him to do, but he went and joined the military. Why would he devote his time to something like that?"

"Why are you asking?"

"I can't believe Flit would want to become part of the Federation, not after all he found out about Cleansing. How could he trust them? I know I'm not sure I fully do," he looked away.

"I don't know what he's thinking all the time—trust me—Flit wants to stop the Vagan. And if he can change the Federation while doing that, nothing would stop him."

"Even you?" Kannas asked, looking up with his violet eyes searching.

"Well, that's…" Emily looked and furrowed her brow. "Why are you asking this?"

"I wanted to know why Flit is so bent on fighting the Vagan even if it means serving the people who ruined his life. He could have been living with you, but chose this instead."

"Flit hates the Vagan," Emily said. "To him, they're just as bad as the Special Forces were. Don't you think we should fight the Vagan?"

"I'm not really sure what to think," Kannas said after a moment. "Thanks for telling me," he turned to go, apparently lost in thought.

"Emily," Flit said, coming around the corner, passing by Kannas, who looked over at him.

"Flit," she said, then smiled. "Is there a problem? Jealous?"

"Jealous? About what?"

"Kannas has been crushing on me lately, or have you not noticed?"

"I noticed," Flit said, an edge in his voice that drew a twinge of guilt from Emily, but she pressed on, this was too much fun after all.

"Like how it feels?" Emily teased with a wicked smile.

"Are you talking about with Yurin? Is this what you learned in high school?"

"Yup."

"I mean it Emily, enough of this," he pushed closer. "Kannas is a sensitive guy. I don't know him well, but you're needlessly hurting him. It's the same thing you experienced with Yurin, only worse because it is not sincere."

"What would you know about sincere?" Emily retorted angrily. "I said it before and I'll say it again, you treat me like you don't really care. We haven't even dated under the proper definition of the phrase."

Flit exhaled a breath. "What do you want from me?" He spread his arms helplessly.

"That's crystal clear," Emily snapped, raising her voice.

Flit moved out of striking range. "I've fought for you, I've let you stay on the ship even though it's dangerous!"

"Then get a clue," Emily said, spinning away and floating quickly down the hall, leaving Flit to lower his outstretched arm with a hopeless sigh.

* * *

**The Moon, Fardain**

Angelo Enreze stalked through the outer shell of Fardain, watching the worker crews, most of them automated mechanoids that did not feel a prick of the conscience to unearth the petrified remains of a human corpse. There were actually quite few of them, surprising considering how hot it had gotten inside Fardain. An Grams refused to look, so Angelo looked for him, snapping pictures to take back to the Vagan Commander. He personally did it to remind himself what steps his people had taken to reach this far. They must not be in vain, the deaths of these people around him.

It was upon his shoulders that this burden rested, among the other pilots. The Veinidorr was immensely powerful, but it had a price that even he was not quite willing to pay. He had to keep fighting it, yet had to keep giving in so he could do battle to the upmost of his potential.

Even so, that strange sensation gnawed at his mind, telling him that this was no honor or duty. He was a battery, a disposable slowly drained away each time he hooked himself up to that monstrous system. Was this why Aren Takeo had fled to Earth with the Proto Zedas? Angelo felt he understood perfectly well how that man felt.

If he could remove Flit Asuno as a threat to the Vagan, it would all be worthwhile, him and the Gundam. That annoying ticking in his mind began clicking louder, mocking him.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

"Vargas," Adams Tinel called, touching down to where the older man was busy writing something down on a tablet in front of the AGE-1 unit II.

"Adams, oh, what can I do for you, Captain?"

"Adams is fine. Actually, that's why I came to talk," Adams looked away for a moment, not wanting to make eye contact at first. He took a deep breath and looked back at Vargas. The man had been at Aliston ever since Adams had been assigned there. It felt so strange, that Vargas now felt the need to show him more respect. The militaristic formalities felt so shallow to the familial bond they used to share. But it seemed that, even with Milias in some cases, his rank had gotten in the way of his relationship with his closest friends.

"I just wanted to apologize for yelling at you earlier. I was angry that the mobile suits vanished and didn't try a more levelheaded approach to getting the information. I hope you'll accept my apology."

"Don't mention it, I would have gone berserk if my mobile suits vanished without a trace," Vargas said with a chuckle. "You're not perfect, nobody is," he shrugged. "Besides, I planned to tell you anyway. I'm not sure why Amadis was so secretive to start with. The hanger crew is already questioning why I had the machines moved off the _Diva _at Torrian. It won't be long before they piece together the facts anyway."

"It just goes to show how untrusting Amadis Largo is of the military," Milias Alloy said, drifting down from the Gundam. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such absurd lengths to ensure secrecy."

"That is true, although I as captain should have been the first to fall under his confidence." Adams said, crossing his arms at the indignity.

"He had to include Vargas because he is the one who had to move the machines. Amadis probably decided that since you were a member of Grodek's band, you might not be trustworthy enough and could have ties with outside forces, like Flit did with Zalam."

"But Flit was included," Adams retorted.

"True," Milias said. "Although that probably had more to do with Adalbrecht. Who, by extension of that argument, was a Yellow Shirt and thus trustworthy to keep even the dirtiest of secrets."

"It's a strange world we live in," Adams said with a sigh. He looked back up at the Gundam. "Let's hope they make the most of what they find."

* * *

**May 5****th****, AG117-The **_**Silhouette **_

Ivon sat on a couch in the crew lounge drawing on a sketch book; looking up periodically at Nova Omusa, who sat curled on the couch opposite a coffee table, reading a book. The slightly adhesive material used for the couches kept both of them attached comfortably without the need for straps, a nice improvement over the measly crew lounges aboard the _Darwins. _

Flit Asuno found them not much different when he arrived, save that Kannas Westmorland was there, sipping on some instant coffee rather dutifully like a chore. Flit idled over to the drink dispenser and wondered if he might just have a soft drink, instant coffee that probably came from some synthesized derivative held very little appeal to his taste buds. He finally opted for water, it wouldn't do to have anything caffeinated. He needed to stay calm and focused on the reading through the journal, not so hyper that he'd find himself locked in the gym until he worked out the excess energy.

He settled down in a chair, trying to act as though the book were a standard artifact. If someone asked, he would say it was a piece of family history, a complete truth. What worried him most was that no one had brought up the death of Don Boyage. Amadis did not seem particularly interested with anything outside the mission, and after the battle with the Draces, Flit had passed off Boyage's death as an internal Zalam struggle.

He certainly hoped Adalbrecht had taken that as an excuse, because Flit wasn't too sure if even he knew why Boyage had tried to reach him that day. Alfred's journal was not proving to be a very easy read by even an engineer's standards, and it just recently occurred to him that there might be _code _involved. He was having issues getting distracted by his father's designs, which might become potential weapons for the AGE-1.

Then there were bits and pieces of his parent's lives that he wanted to explore simply to learn. There was so much he hadn't known about them and a great deal he had already forgotten about his time with Marina Asuno. Then there were pieces and stories that involved Kendre and Maria. Those he looked over, because it would not hurt to check what Alfred thought of his sister-in-law.

"Anything I can help with?" Adalbrecht Diamler asked.

Flit started and looked up to find his blonde cousin floating idling behind the seat, hand on the armrest. "I take it I startled you."

"Slightly," Flit said absently.

"It's a wonder you didn't hear me, the atmosphere in here is like a library," he gestured at the other three occupants. Ivon looked up with something akin to humor, and Nova eyed him for a few moments before resuming her read. Kannas floated behind them near a corner, a pair of soundplugs in his ears, probably listening to music and oblivious to the rest of the world. "I better not disturb all of you," Adalbrecht said after pausing a moment in the silence. He stopped and looked down at the journal. "Is that Uncle's diary? I heard Boyage had it. Is that why he was trying to get to you that day?"

Flit scowled, still not sure how to read Adalbrecht. It could be that, like everyone's apparent misconceptions of Maria, Boyage had been wrong about Adalbrecht and the man was not involved with Cleansing any more than Fonroid had been. But how could he know for sure? And he still hadn't ruled out that Maria was trying to deceive him for her company's gain. He closed the book and his eyes. "Adalbrecht, please discuss family matters in private, especially sensitive ones."

Nova got up and peeled herself away from the couch, floating idly toward the hallway.

"My, it looks like I've already offended people," Adalbrecht said. "We noticed a Vagan _So Lin _and _Fa Raza _within visual range, so consider yourselves on standby. They haven't made any moves, however they decloaked for _some _reason, no doubt to pan the area for our heat signatures, not that they'll find us easily. The ships have heat dampeners at every turn and the engine blocks store and dump excess heat in the form of liquid canisters. Still, their sensors are better than ours," he floated toward the exit, where Nova had grabbed a lift-grip to whisk her away.

Flit sighed and got back to reading.

"Her waist is sixteen inches," Ivon Alfenoa said to ward off complete silence.

"Pardon me?" Flit asked, looking up even though he knew it was an intentional distraction. "Do you mind if I try to study?"

"Got exams coming up? This is the military crew lounge on a battleship, not a university social lobby. Lighten up, Asuno." Ivon took off his pair of thin, rectangular glasses and flipped his book around, showing a number of detailed sketches of Nova, one of which was a very life-like drawing of her sitting in the sofa across from him, reading the book with her contented stare. "Judging from my observations, she is a troubled woman with a sad or hopeless past, who spurns those who are attracted to her."

"How can you know that?"

Ivon raised a finger, "She is attractive yet has not found a romantic interest, even in someone like Ewen, who obviously thinks highly of her. She is quiet, yet become violently emotional when placed on the spot, hinting at a large degree of internal conflict. She is not abashed to speaking on the battlefield, but quiet, peaceful places like this quiet lounge make her almost unresponsive to provocation."

"Why does that matter to you?" Kannas asked, drifting down, his plugs gone. "You've been stalking her for this whole trip, I'm surprised she hasn't complained."

"Exactly. She is hardly the confrontational sort, yet I have finally broken through her masks. Indeed, this was an enjoyable exercise on my part and hardly wasted. I think I should wait to get more battlefield data from her however," he said, lowering his voice as if talking to himself. "I still don't know how she reacts perfectly under fire."

Flit returned to his reading, deciding that Ivon was not the type of man to interact with too often. Rumors about him killing his mobile suit's engineers was still a hot topic amongst those in the hanger, understandably. Whether or not they were true Flit could not say, the computer files about Ivon were "classified".

"Is that your father's journal?" Kannas asked.

"What?" Flit said, turning to give Kannas a surprised look. "How would you know?"

Kannas pointed at the closed journal's lower right corner. Despite being blackened from the fire, Flit could see the telltale signs of letters that might be mistook for top of a, s, and u. the O needed to finish Flit's surname was missing, but it would not take a great leap in the imagination to get an idea that the book might be an Asuno journal, especially with an Asuno reading the book. Alfred was also slightly visible, although considerably marred by the flames as well.

"You mentioned your Dad's name to me once, so I figured this was his," Kannas said.

"Right," Flit admitted, feeling a bit sheepish. "But, this is a bit personal."

"And mysterious. No offense Flit, but a half charred book, a journal at that, with bloodstains is a pretty good eye catcher. So, is there code? Did Emily steel the book from Boyage?"

"No," Flit said, growing somewhat frustrated. He gave a glance at Ivon, who turned from his sketches and raised his eyebrows twice in a suggestive manner.

"I'm listening." He said with a smile.

Flit gave up and opened the book. "I'm searching for the word Boyage wrote on the ground. But it isn't here and I'm distracted by the family history. There might be some code, but I'm not sure how to even check."

"Let me know if there is, I'm great at codes," Kannas said with a smile. "I'll be working on the Genoace if you need me."

"Why? You did that yesterday," Flit said, already half suspecting. Emily worked on the Genoace units as part of her duties aboard the ship.

* * *

**The Moon, Fardain**

"We were left behind," grumbled Dole Frost, kicking at a stray piece of trash. A maintenance robot whizzed by and grabbed the wadded paper, then returned to its alcove, where it deposited the trash into a recycler duct.

"Really? Really? You want to go back to that diseased radiation dump? Count me out," Mink said, throwing out both arms, palms facing away from her as if clearing the space before her.

"That 'diseased radiation dump' is where my family is," Frost gritted through his teeth. He started outdistancing his smaller counterpart with long strides from his lanky legs.

"Well," Mink said, jogging to catch up, "they should leave, or bring the colonies here."

"And do what? The disease is in the colonies. There's no reason to bring all that over here and infect the Earth. Besides, Angra Zenon would blow them all to spacedust."

"Not the colonies it wouldn't."

"We don't know that. _Something _got the ones that went off toward the other planets. We never heard from the Venus group or the deep space voyagers."

"All I'm saying is that we should move away.._from there,_" Mink threw up her hands, "So you know, the terraformer doesn't yank the colonies to Mars and irradiate them. They could come to the Moon, it's not the Earth."

"And let the Federation paint them with biiiig targets." Frost countered.

"Fine," Mink crossed her arms and let Frost outdistance her again.

Frost turned a corner and very nearly ran into Angelo Enreze, who was just stepping out of the simulation room.

"whoops," laughed Frost, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll just"-Angelo grabbed him by his long hair as he attempted to walk away. "Aouch, that hurt!" Angelo let go and Frost stepped back a safe distance, rubbing his hair.

"I've been looking for the two of you," Angelo said gruffly, his eyes bloodshot as if he had been staring into a holoscreen all day. "Time to hit the simulator," he pointed back behind him.

"Why?" Frost asked with a bemused frown.

"You're getting new suits soon. You get a Zedas and animal girl gets a Farsia. To expound on your X-Rounder talents," Angelo said in answer to their blank stares.

"I get the Sissy one." Mink said with not a hint of enthusiasm. "Great."

"You can complain in the simulator room," Angelo retorted, grabbing her before she could run and dragged her inside.

Not wanting to be manhandled in a similar fashion, Frost followed dutifully, still rubbing his hair protectively.

"Since when did you care about our piloting abilities?" Demanded Mink, pointing an accusing finger as she bit at Angelo's arm.

"Bleck!" Mink threw out her tongue and spat, "You taste like aluminum."

Angelo yanked his threatened limb back and rubbed his hand where Mink had managed to nip clean through his black pilot's gloves. "It's none of your business. Telemari is down with a fever and is in sickbay, so you need to do as I say while she gets better."

"Let's go see her," Mink said quickly grabbing Frost to pull him for the door. Angelo picked her up by the back of her uniform's shirt collar and deposited her cursing and screaming form into a simulator, which locked her into the pilot's seat.

"Sims _aren't_ worlds apart when it comes to learning funnel control," Angelo said. "Combat and practice are the same when learning to control a remote weapon, missile or otherwise. Also, your Zedas will be a difficult animal if you aren't up to its speed and transformation procedures Frost. Get in."

Frost obeyed, not liking the almost crazed look in Angelo's eyes. The seat locked, and he realized Angelo had programmed the simulators not to release them until the allotted practice time ended.

"Oh no," Mink whined.

"You can't trap us in here," Frost protested. "What is this, some kind of sadistic joke?"

"Only way to make sure you train," Angelo said, turning toward the door.

"Aren't you going to stick around?" Frost asked in confusion. "You're supposed to be a simulation trainer, right?"

"I've got to go to the bathroom," Mink pleaded. "Let me out!"

"I've…got some other things to do," Angelo replied, his voice suddenly growing decades older. "I'll be in my room, report to me what your overall performance was. Better yet, just slip the data outside the door and I'll read it on the terminal later. Don't bother knocking."

* * *

"You locked them in a sim room," Telemari Agori said with without an ounce of surprise. "Why?" She said after a moment, turning on her side in the sick bay. Doctors and their nurses moved about with other patients, most of them not there because of an internal bacterial battle. From the look of how they monitored her, Angelo guessed they were highly concerned.

"Don't go bugeye, I'm not contagious," Telemari said, sitting up on one elbow.

"I stopped by so you'd know where they were. Go send someone to get them out after thirty minutes or so."

"Angelo, enough. Why did you lock them in the simulators? I didn't even think you cared about these pilots," Telemari said, her voice taking on an edge. Her skin looked paler than usual.

"I won't be around much longer to help," Angelo said, flexing the muscles in his hands instinctively. He took one hand in the other and rubbed it absently as he turned to go. "I've got to make sure they can take care of themselves after I'm gone."

"So you've got your heart back. Where did you find it?" Telemari said with a smile.

Angelo paused as he saw her grin and resisted the urge to smile back. "Not for much longer," he said over his shoulder.

One of the physicians passed in front of him on the way out of the sick bay, Angelo leered at him, sending the smaller man scurrying away. They'd messed him up, these people better not make the same mistakes with her.

* * *

**June 7****th****, AG117-The **_**Silhouette**_**, en route to Mars Sphere**

The sound of a single hammer banged throughout the otherwise abandoned mobile suit hanger. Kannas sat inside his Genoace's cockpit, Emily Amonde floating above him, hammering down a loose ceiling panel. When she finished, she removed the suction device on her wrist and floated back down beside the pilot's chair, where he fiddled with the OS. "I don't like how you have the settings, H-62."

"My apologies," a black HARO unit, the sixty second model produced, said in its deep, computerized voice. It's red mooneye camera shifted its lense as it spoke again, "I will correct all errors you indicate. Shall I save your currently selected preferences?"

"Yes," Kannas said, hitting a switch on the control board. "These buttons are getting a bit unresponsive, I wish we had a touchpad system installed."

"Those are not advised," H-62 spoke up before Emily could say anything. "Touchpads are inaccurate under fire when the pilot is making frantic, jerky hand movements. Debris and other factors striking the panels could cause unwanted moves that may result in injury or-

-he knows, 62," Emily said.

"Emily, do you know what's wrong with Flit these days," Kannas asked. "He's been hiding away in his room, and I've not been able to get an answer out of him."

"Probably still pouring through that journal," Emily said, stretching. She sat back and took in the scene. Her and a boy doing mechanical work on a mobile suit, with a Haro butting in to make comments or suggestions, albeit these helpful ones rather than those the original had a tendency to express. Emily mentally groaned and shook her head. Maybe there really _wasn't _any hope for her. She couldn't believe this was what she called a romantic pastime. But here she was, spending time with Kannas, working on his mobile suit so it would run smoothly during the next battle.

Kannas was a nice boy, granted, he had been considerate, interested in talking, and far from consumed by whatever goals he had set, like Flit. But she still missed him, if only he was a little less obsessed over that diary of his father, or was interested in letting her help. Kannas by contrast was more than eager to spend time with her, though he had yet to make a direct romantic statement or move. She appreciate that, it showed he wanted to get to know her for who she was.

"Is something bothering you, Emily?" Kannas asked.

Emily started, not realizing she had begun to doze off. "No, I was just thinking."

"About Flit?"

"Yes," she admitted, wondering how he had guessed.

"I have a personal question to ask," Kannas said after a moment.

"Okay," Emily inwardly cringed. "What is it?"

"Flit is obsessed with killing the Vagan, but is that really 'good'? What do _you _think we should have done with the Vagan? With the Special Forces for that matter."

"Oh," that _kind of question, _She thought to herself. For some reason, she found herself slightly disappointed. "I don't know, Kannas. Whatever type of people they are will make my view I guess."

"Then we sit back and wait for what we find at Mars?" Kannas asked.

"Logically speaking, human beings possess the same general genetic attributes and mental preprogramming regardless of their planetary birthplace, excluding genetic differentiations in evolutionary response to environment and psychological conditioning that might have resulted from A:-

-That wasn't what we were talking about, H-62," Kannas said. The red optic camera almost appeared hurt, as if it had been a child trying their best to be helpful, only to have the adult slap them. "But you do have a point that their environment may affect how they act."

"Indeed, several leading studies have shown this circa nineteenth century psychological studies," H-62 said, once again enthusiastic.

"Do you think Flit will care?" Kannas asked after a moment.

Emily felt her heart twinge and flipped her back to Kannas, staring at the black monitor in front of her. "We won't know until we get there."

* * *

Flit sat in his cabin, wondering what he could say to Milias about Largan Drace. Was there anything _to _say? She would be heartbroken and he would not feel any better for telling her. He rolled over and picked up Haro, who stared back at him passively. "What do you think? I guess you wouldn't happen to have a wise answer, would you?"

Haro started to say something, then cut himself off as if cupping his hand over his mouth.

Flit stared at the machine for a moment, then looked away, letting Haro slip out of his hands. "It doesn't matter. I wish Grodek were here. He could always make a moral path through anything. It _always_ seemed so _clear_ for him." Flit closed his eyes and brought up memories of Grodek Ainoa, from Aliston and beyond. "If he were here now, he could have changed all this somehow."

"If Grodek Ainoa were here right now, what could he have done to change things for the better?"

Flit looked back at Haro, who's voice had turned to the stereotypical mechanical voice of the mass-produced models. "What did you do that for?" Flit asked.

"I suddenly became aware of this flaw in my settings," Haro replied, as if it were obvious. "Do you have any suggestions? Grodek Ainoa was only one man among many who wanted to turn the world his way."

Flit frowned. "Since when did I give you a philosophy chip?"

"I cannot answer that."

Flit looked away. "Well, shut down for now. You talk like someone I used to know."

"You do not have an answer."

"So?" Flit asked, not turning around. "What answer would help? I can't actually talk to him now can I?"

"This answer might help you at this time, and you do not require a conversation with Grodek to come up with this. Grodek Ainoa can no longer change the world, but Flit Asuno still can. Make the choices that will achieve your goals, if you find them noble enough to take the risk."

Flit turned back to stare in surprise at Haro, who floated placidly beside him. "That advice isn't half bad."

"Only if you apply it."

* * *

"Go and make the choices you feel are best, Flit. Only be sure to step back and make certain you came to the right conclusions. Don't make a rash decision and regret the consequences." Grodek sat back and watched the transmission die away. Flit was beyond his reach now. He would have to blaze his own path now.


	22. Chapter 21 Shadow Games

**Author's notes:** I have no intention defending the Kratos shield which you will find in this chapter. I created the shield as a plot device and esthetically appealing weapon for the Vagan arsinal, which before now always seemed somewhat lackluster for a race of people with supposedly high technology as the EXA-DB describes. Honestly speaking, I wondered about even explaining how the shield functions, but decided to bring it into the chapter anyway, because it gives it some false illusion of substance.

So enjoy the esthetic appeal of a crystalline shield system, if you can. If not, well I would still enjoy getting feedback on what everyone thought.

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty One Shadow Games**_

* * *

**August 24****th****, AG117-Silhouette, en route to Mars Sphere**

Flit Asuno awakened to the sound of Haro's built-in alarm, blasting him awake with a nasty sound forceful enough to be a jolt of electricity into his eardrum. Rubbing said member, Flit peeled himself out of bed and threw on his uniform with growing irritation as Haro refused to shut off his alarm. "I'm awake, Haro, enough." He said over the screech. He was going to have to go over his notes and see what idiot in the development department had decided to give the Haro machines an alarm, because this veritable siren had not been part of Haro's original makeup before he left the _Diva _to live at Torrian.

"Your movements are too sluggish," Haro chided in his now deeper, mechanical voice. "Please move at a superior rate of speed and I will comply to turn off the alarm when you finish."

"I am _not _a mobile suit," Flit groused, messing with his hair to make sure it didn't resemble a tumble dried porcupine.

"If you properly shaved your head per hygiene regulations, you would cut a full two minutes of preparation time."

"I refuse." Flit said with finality. He opened the door, "No one follows regulations like that anyway."

"Why ever not?"

"Because no one wants to be bald," Flit called, stepping out.

"No one wants to be bald?" Haro started to follow but stopped and looked at his reflection in the wall terminal for a long moment, staring at the top of his head dutifully. "I fail to see why anyone would want cranial hair."

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

Deep within the bowels of the underlevels, evil things moved. The true evil lay in the very air, in everything you touched. The disease, some like monsters out of a horror film, others from the purest depths of a madman's nightmare. They could not be seen, they could not be heard, they could not be felt—well, at least not until it was far, far too late.

There were monsters, people rarely spoke of them, mostly because they were exterminated as quickly as possible during the initial months of Second Moon's creation. Things that the terraformer had dared to call lifeforms. They were once cats, dogs, raccoons, even unusual creatures that had come about for various reasons. All carefully warped by the terraformer to be as hideous as possible.

No expense was spared. They came in all colors, shapes, sizes and kinds. All were flesh-eating as an absolute rule—why have tame herbivores when you could fill the planet full of bloodthirsty monsters? The bats—at least the things that traced their genetic originals to bats before the terraformer got its DNA scrambler on them—slept in the ceilings. They were furless, with almost lizard like skin that shined from their urine, which they drenched themselves in to keep cool and kill off the harmful disease and viruses lurking in the depths. They had lizard-like eyes and nasty retractable claws like cats, with big bat-like ears that turned this way and that as they monitored their surroundings. They grew to about one foot in length from wingtip to wingtip, and lived in little groups of three or four, rarely five, if there was an offspring still lingering about its parents, who took care of their young with fierce diligence. They loved blood, and anything smelly, so if you got sweaty or worse, had a bleeding injury, they would swarm about you and tear you to pieces.

Oddly, they were still called vampires, though no one dared call them vampire "bats" because bats were a pure, natural creature that was held with very high reverence in Vagan society. That, and well, there were still bats here and there in Second Moon, in the more peaceful, less traveled places where the only food were insects.

Insects! The small kinds, not the _others _that the terraformer wanted to have fun with. Couldn't have an ensemble of demented, crevice-stalking horrors without a good insectoid in the roster. The victims of choice had been the praying mantis and earwig. The mantises as it turned out, had actually turned out as rather a helpful creature. The terraformer had a sense of humor—it _must_—to turn the praying mantis, a natural foodsource for bats, into their predator. The vampires were the primary food of these mantis, who were nearly the size of cats and hunted down their pray when they were off hunting alone from the rest of their pack or trio. They were skittish of people, though children would fall under attack now and then. The mantis population may have been generally helpful, but few people liked encountering one in a dark, tight tunnel, with its reflective compound eyes and snapping claws, not to mention the false horns and other protrusions the terraformer saw fit to add to them. Again, why_ not_?

Then there were the earwigs. The earwigs, the monstrous looking little insects that had never done anyone any harm on Earth. Well, not to worry, because the terraformer _had definitely _read up on its history and folklore regarding _these _little terrors. The earwig, supposedly able to burrow into people's ears and eat out their brain tissue until death resulted, a myth. Well, not anymore. Just a few genetic mutation treatments and presto! A vicious, carnivorous earwig fully capable of realizing the expectations of urban legend. They lived wherever they could squeeze in, and when they found flesh to eat, they burrowed into the victim's ear or other cavity and entered the nasal passages, where they eventually found their way to the cerebral tissue and started munching. Genius, no? Well the terraformer thought so, apparently, or whatever psychotic programmer designed its template by which it would function, if there even was one, and many debated it.

Pesticide dealt with these creatures, but there was still one more monster lurking in the shadows. They sailed through the dark passages on silent wings, their eyes could see heat, and sought it out. Their bodies were scaled, their hind and front limbs clawed, and their tails strong enough to break human legs with a single swipe. Their heads were accentuated by bony chins, green teeth that seemed to split their mouths open, and a single prominent poison-tipped horn jutting from the forehead. They were gafrans, the terraformer's pride and joy creations, and the most dangerous predator in the Martian ecosystem. They were one of the few things that seemed capable of surviving on the surface despite the terraformer's continued spurts of gene scrambling storms. These reptilian beasts now also served as the inspiration for the current line of Vagan mobile suits, a trend unlikely to stop any time soon, at least not while the living, breathing gafrans still lurked in the colony depths.

Oh the Vagan tried desperately to exterminate them, but the infantile gafran is only roughly the size of a human thumb, and very quiet and good at squeezing its elastic bones into just about any surface a mere five millimeters in diameter, leaving quite a bit of space to hide in. Worse, there were thousands of the things per egg, and the females guarded their young ruthlessly. Because of this and other factors such as time and _money_ and the ever present lack of enthusiasm amongst volunteers to creep into pitch-black tunnels after predatory reptiles, the population of the gafran continued to remain a constant issue, despite the routine usage of their mechanical mechanoid counterparts to curb their population.

And this said nothing in the line of what the terraformer had been able to accomplish with the plant life. Oh yes, the plant life, so much could be said about _that. _It was one _big _weed problem! Pesticides and other formulae soon dealt a harsh blow to the infestations in most of the colonies, and the surface of the planet was too volatile with its storms to be conducive to plant growth, at least_ above ground_. As for Second Moon, it had deep, nasty places where the plants still lurked, curbed by nothing since the terraformer loved its creations and didn't want any animals digesting them. The weeds did indeed however, serve a useful purpose. Only a few of the plants were actually life-threatening, and many had natural cures for the bacteria and other maladies affecting the people of Mars. The cillicoxin drug used to deal with those whose genes had been tampered with by the terraformer was actually an extract from the plants. Acting as a homeopathic remedy, it gave the cells a chance to encounter the same gene ganging alterations in the DNA found in all of the terraformer's creations and identify it as a threat rather than a hormonal commandment.

And so the weeds had to be singled out manually because indiscriminant spraying killed off the helpful plants, which while they were grown in facilities, still seemed to work best when raised in a natural environment.

Yes, the deep underlevels of Second Moon, were second to none.

Arabel Zoi knew this well as he raced through the shadowed hallways, a pack of hungry gafrans hot on his heels, their hissing echoed through the tunnels like a hoard of vipers.

* * *

**September 6****th****, AG117-Earth Sphere the Moon, Tycho Crater Fortress, Adamantine, formerly Fardain**

Sitting inside his office, An Grams mulled over a holomap spread out a mere millimeter above the black metal of his desk, which was now supporting his elbow, as he rested one arm. He moved his finger over the map, tracing out supply routes beneath the Lunar surface, which had finally begun to cool. The thin, vaporous atmosphere had long since trailed off, leaving a good deal of the space around Earth surprisingly nebulous in appearance. How long that would last remained a mystery. He had yet to find the source of the terraforming, and assumed the machine in question was buried or inoperable.

Being a Vagan, he had an inborn hatred for the technology, but a healthy respect and growing gratitude, because he knew well that the former had been the central force behind his good fortune. The Moon was now wholly Vagan territory, with numerous small drilling outposts mining away at the liquid minerals bubbling just beneath the surface, forced up by the terraformer. The thing had nanomachines working to convert matter into different materials for supporting life. While the volcanic activity had ceased, it seemed these machines were still at work, happily pumping out raw minerals, particularly the needed rare earths required to build mobile suits and other equipment.

Originally the outposts were meant as hiding places for his ships to refuel, but now the drilling units and Kratos shield systems he had taken time in having built were useful in mining operations, moving down deeper into the depths of the Moon, even the mantle. Time was on his side, because Tycho was essentially invulnerable now, and even if the enemy somehow got passed the shield, he could hide his men inside Fardain and wait out his enemies until he happened upon a solution. At this point in time, his main concern was making certain the enemy did not destroy all these new mining facilities. Buckeyetube shaped shafts at the base of Tycho's now hardened lava lake surface reached into the deeper levels, where the ships could still move freely through the liquid. Eventually, the shafts would grow into Kratos shield tunnels and—once the molten rock cooled—would be deactivated to form subterranean tunnels to and from the mining works. The shields could also come up to as dense a thickness as desired, essentially sealing off the tunnels as a possible entry into Tycho, which of course was thinking far into the future.

He pressed a holobutton and brought up an image of Tycho Crater's skyline, a massive dome like half of a dodecahedron. This was what his forces had been constructing inside Fardain during the past two years; the Fragmented Allotrope Phase Modulated Variable Energy Projection Field Array. Since FAPMoVEPFA was not particularly endearing as far as acronyms went, a fitting name had been decided, Kratos.

It was an ingenious system. So much so he only understood the layman's explanation his scientists gave him when he wouldn't shut up pestering them on how it worked. The generators produced a shield composed of countless crystal fragments ranging in size from just a few particles to any size the generators dictated. The crystals could be reconstructed to form the shape of diamond, reinforced with nanotubes or reconstructed into them all because of the tremendous bursts of heat released into the shields at certain intervals or directed through nanotube systems winding through the entire structure.

There were two layers in the shield (technically three). Each layer was comprised of the crystals floating in a liquid crystal form which could be hardened. The crystals could grow _fast_, hardening an entire layer of the shield into a fully physical barrier capable of withstanding incredible temperatures, such as the heat of molten rock, much less the heat from beam weaponry. Projected magnetic fields or "plates" from a series of crystals could change the particles to a different charge and peel them away, where the diamond or other crystalline structure could absorb the heat, though that was needless because the diamond or other crystals could act as lenses to focuse beam energy throughout the shield. This made the shield truly invulnerable, so long as the crystals did not overheat or encounter enough kinetic force or mass to push them out of alignment, such as an asteroid or other celestial collision. Even so, there were safeguards to protect against this.

When facing beam attacks and even collisions like a missile strike or other such examples of sustaining impact, the outer layer was designed so the larger crystals were connected with a fine net of polycrystals carefully constructed to make them resistant to heavy amounts of impact, but still not entirely as rigid as their properly patterned counterparts, which were designed to have not a single impurity, making them virtually indestructible, whereas the polycrystals were only half as resistant. Both of these, once again floated inside the viscous, liquid crystal that could have its molecules rearranged into patterned crystal blocks at will, making it quite durable but still relatively nonresistant to blunt force.

This allowed for the force of impact to be channeled first through the crystals, which would not break under the strain due to durability, and into the weaker polycrystals, which shattered eventually and spread the excess energy into the liquid. This was designed to create ripple effects in the wall, spreading the damage and thus minimizing its effects. But even as the damage was being distributed, more crystals were forming.

The space between the two shells was composed of a laser wall capable of incinerating a physical object before it reached the relatively thin second layer of the crystal shell, which had its crystals spread more thinly or thickly, depending on An Gram's needs. This made penetrating the wall almost impossible. If the penetrating object smashed through the outer layer, it must do so quickly before the shield system reformed and trapped and eventually expulsed the object, it had to sustain heavy enough heat levels to pass through the laser barrier (or be diamond coated so it could fragment the light or redirect it) and then ultimately confront the final layer. At this point, the second, final barrier could rearrange the crystals to form an electromagnetic pulse that would push the object away, while the first layer became magnetically charged and did so to the penetrating object (unless it were coated with a nonconductive material) and thus increased the force against the invading weapon must fight, not including the particle field the crystals of the final shell layer could produce if needed at the last possible second.

That was only the first option, the second was to simply harden and thicken the wall at point of impact, strengthening it to such an extent that it was capable of being virtually indestructible (though more easily melted by beam fire). Best of all, because of the two layers, and even the central one, should one be brought up in that space such as the aforementioned beam shield, one layer could be hardened for physical impact, while the other was brought up to resist beam weapons fire.

Portions of the shield could also be dropped or reconstructed at will, considering the shield was cut into hexagonal segments, with the shield controllers able to manipulate each block at will, making a truly versatile defensive wall. So long as the shield generators remained functional and able to produce enough carbon material for the crystals to form, An Grams could form new portions to the shield as much as he needed.

And this was only the tip of the iceburg. The crystals could be reconstructed into focusing diamond. Light could be focused into the shield and released by each crystal in a wide-spread laser array. The mighty Kratos was not just a shield, it was also an all-range laser or beam cannon. If he focused the power enough, he could unleash a beam capable of atomizing any city within range of the Moon's southern hemisphere. The crystals could even reform at specific locations to allow beam fire from his own ships to pass through and even be amplified in strength, while resisting incoming attack with instant crystallization after friendly fire passed through. It was perfect. Well, almost perfect. It had never been able to stand up to the terraformer, if anything because of its nanomachines that rode the magnetic storms.

An Grams wiped away the hologram with his hand and put his face in his other hand, his fingers grabbing at his hair. What to do? His tacticians wanted him to use Kratos for its more devastating powers, but he had absolutely no intention to start turning cities to craters, at least not yet. He was no genocidal murderer; he was a human being, who only wanted a safe place to call home.

On the opposite end, he was a commander who valued his troops. He didn't want to kill them, which was what he did every time he took the offensive. This was why he had been defensive commander at Mars, where he would not have to make this choice. Maybe if they were grown men and women like Angelo and Telemari, not children or teenagers. Who was he fighting for then? Use Kratos to wipe the people of Earth and their colonies to ashes, or sacrifice his own forces? Perhaps some commanders could dehumanize their enemies to do that, but An Grams _would not._

* * *

Angelo Enreze awoke to the fuzzy sound of the Nanos-zsells powering up along with all his other cells, though his natural body didn't start that horrible buzzing in his mind as these did. He got up hurriedly and dressed, ignoring the sound. Now that he had slept, he could resist the urge to start smashing things in frustration as the buzzing slowly cleared away all rational thought. He dressed in his usual uniform, refusing to look at the smooth surface of his head, where there should be pox scars, but now were not. He cared little about his face, or his body. Scars after all, were warmer than cold metal tissue.

* * *

"Come on, open up," Dole Frost commanded, banging on the door to Mink's "lair" for the umpteenth time. "We don't have time for you to mope in your room. We have a mission. It's not ok to be late."

"It's no good I tell you," Mink retorted with her usual viciousness. "It's not that I won't! it's that I _can't _use funnels. They're so hard to move at once, and I have to pilot and maneuver. Me and the Farsia are not compatible!"

"You can do it if you try hard-

-I _am _trying Frost! I tried ever since Angelo threw us in that sim room. It's not doable."

"Enough of this," Telemari said, stepping past Frost. "Mink, please listen, _I need _you to come out. I cannot keep making excuses for this kind of behavior."

"I'd rather be in the brig than dead because I CAN"T USE FUNNELS!" Mink screamed.

Telemari couldn't be sure, but she almost thought Mink's voice cracked at the end. She sighed. "It's no use Mink, this is not a case where I can just walk in and straighten your hair. We have to leave now and there is no way around it. You either come with us now, or I let the X handlers come in and do what they want."

"No."

"Please, Mink. Won't you do it for me, I thought we were friends," Telemari said, trying a slightly different tack.

"Sheesh this isn't going to help," Frost said, gently pushing in front of Telemari. "I get why she's mad, so I've got an idea, if you'll authorize it..?" He looked back at Telemari, who shrugged her compliance.

"Anything to keep from having to make a report to the priests. They've made me her handler or something."

"Right. Mink!" Frost called, "Listen, I know you're not good at the funnels, and I don't like high speed battles. We can switch and use each other's machines and see how we like it."

"Your Zedas is supposed to have funnels too." Mink retorted.

"Yes, Mink. But the OS is buggy and the mechanicians don't approve of me taking them out until they fix the issues. You can use the Zedas, I can use the Farsia. Everyone is satisfied, except the Terrans we vape."

"Earthers!" Mink exploded, the door sliding open without warning. Telemari and Frost leapt back in surprise.

Telemari put a hand to her heart and steadied herself, "I thought I was going to have a heart attack."

"I got used to it," Frost said with an even smile. He patted Mink on the head and gestured for her to follow. "Let's go Ferret."

"_Mink_!"

"Right, Weasel."

Mink ground her teeth in frustration. Then a sudden thought occurred to her. "Alright, _Frosty. _Tell me, what's it like being a magically imbued with life snowman?!"

Frost merely smiled knowingly. "Empowering. Come on, let's go spread some winter magic." He moved on ahead, picking up his speed to move out of range of Mink's flying kick.

Telemari quietly laughed to herself and followed with a shake of her long, brown hair.

* * *

**September 6****th****-Earth Sphere, the dark side of the Moon**

Milias Alloy banked the Razor Gundam away from a cliff side and sped out of the ravine and into a valley, the dark, rippling surface of hardened lava formations filled the ravine, and Milias switched from her tactical sensors to her senses. The enemy's could not hide from _her._ A flash from the green ocean of the halo filled her vision, focusing in on a place about ten klicks away, near the edge of the valley's jagged sides. As she angled in that direction, pieces of space rock pounded against her Gundam's hull, making annoying pangs. She willed that out of her mind and concentrated on the space ahead. Maybe they would be lucky and the enemy would only have conventional weapons such as their fighter units.

She looked to her left at the Starhammer, a Federation gunship, shaped similar to a manta ray, with an elongated tail section connecting it to a larger pair of engines that glowed a brilliant cobalt against its lunar grey armor. Its two beam turrets, both rated as equal to a _Darwin's _battleship cannons swiveled toward the indicated target site. It opened up its missile launchers and fired a wave. The pair of white and blue coated Genoace II banked beneath the ship and fired their long range beam rifles as well.

Ahead, a pair of triangular fighters appeared with a flash of blue as they passed through the cloak, firing four missiles a piece from their own missile pods. One of the Genoace IIs blasted a fighter apart with its beam rifle at long range, the other disappeared as two of the missiles locked onto it and blew it apart in a flash. Milias felt a jolt of fear and looked up in time to see a trio of fighters swooping down, firing missiles and beam fire. The Starhammer lurched and swiveled its turret around to fire back, but the nimble fighters wove through the blasts and slowed down to just behind the gunship, peppering the engines with their saffron beam fire. Milias turned back to see a Jegga scurrying toward a crevasse in the side of the valley wall.

Milias tsked and fired a DODS rifle blast, spearing the missile launcher. A pillar of flame rushed into the sky, looking for the world like a desperate signal flare.

The Razor's eyes flashed and wheeled around toward the gunship as it floundered away from the fighters. The two Genoace unleashed a barrage of their own, one of them dashing in between the starfighters and cleaving one in two with its beam saber. The remaining pair zipped back and away, firing missiles that slowly began an arc back behind them and toward the Starhammer and Genoace.

Milias was just about to reach the location where the enemy was located. However it worked, the cloak relied on manipulating light to render itself invisible, and the method could not function properly with beam rifle fire pouring _out _of the field, though it seemed the reverse was quite possible, unfortunately. Milias pumped several swirling beams at the space, watching them vanish. If she hit something, she wouldn't know until smoke trailed out from the field-

-an alarm called her attention to a pair of mobile suits speeding toward her, one a very familiar face. "The Veinidorr," she muttered, pulling back from the mining installation to deal with the oncoming threat. The enemy, currently in mobile armor form with its beam rifle sticking out of its center angled said weapon at her and unleashed a brilliant teal plasma blast. Milias ducked the Razor beneath the beam and dashed forward at full speed, DODS rifle blazing out a trio of shots that passed on different sides of the Veinidorr, preventing it from redirecting its fire toward the Starhammer.

Then the enemy transformed, igniting its fiery beam sword, the blue tongues of flame roaring up the bright blade. Milias drew her swords, both of which had been upgraded to deal with the enemy blade. Green beam energy ran down the edges of the double-bladed sword, and with a flash from its eyes and forehead crest, the Razor and Veinidorr met in a shower of sparks. They spun around and the Veinidorr kicked the Razor back, firing off a pair of missiles from its foot-mounted missile launchers. Milias gunned the Razor back toward the blasts, using her DODS rifle's rapid fire mode to blow the projectiles away.

"So," the Vagan pilot of the Veinidorr called, "which are you? Flit Asuno or that other pilot?"

"Milias Alloy!" She screamed back, slashing at the Veinidorr's head. The green grey mobile suit backflipped away and unleashed a pair of missiles from its diamond-shaped wing binders, directing one at the other Federation forces, the other at the blue and silver Gundam.

"What a shame, I wanted to crush Asuno—but you will suffice instead!" Angelo Enreze screamed with a wild laugh, transforming to rocket up in the Razor's face.

Milias fired her Gundam's shoulder-mounted blades as she ducked to the right, firing her DODS rifle at the missile streaking for the Starhammer, which was still sending up a constant stream of fire at the two fighters. Angelo maneuvered the missile out of the way as he sent the Veinidorr arcing down beneath the Gundam, the second missile plummeting from the stars. Milias dashed down at the Veinidorr so it could not detonate the warhead, while she grabbed one of the Gundam's rear skirt blades and slashed at the other machine, which blocked with forearm blades and nearly twisted the Razor's double-bladed sword out of its hand with a jerk of its manipulator's wrist.

Milias struggled to keep her composer as the strange ticking started. She banished it from her mind as Flit had taught her to do and sped to the side as the Veinidorr lunged with a thrust from its sword. She angled her own blade straight at the enemy, impaling it in the shoulder. With a screech, the missile flew down right behind her and detonated, sending both machines falling to the lunar surface beneath, where they landed in a cloud of dust and sparks as Milias activated a beam saber to block the Veinidorr's tonfa.

Up above, a yellow and black Zedas passed overhead like a golden comet, its engines at maximum. Milias looked back to find that the missile had blow away the Starhammer, leaving nothing but a ruined husk along the ground. The two Genoace soon followed as the Zedas transformed and Milias saw a snarling mouth in front of her. The feeling of another, powerful X-Rounder filled her mind. It was that feral one again, who's emotions and mental projections were always so unnerving.

From the sky, a pair of _Darwins _descended, launching Genoace II to reinforce her.

"This is going to be fun: even odds," Angelo laughed through the comm., sending the Razor reeling back with a knee to its torso. Milias jerked her double-bladed sword from the enemy's shoulder as she flew back, and landed in a fighting stance, blade drawn back to throw like a boomerang.

* * *

**Sargo Zone**

Grodek Ainoa took it back. Every rumor about the Sargo was true, even the stories about ghosts were beginning to sound plausible. It turned out the excursion into the zone was easier than getting out, thanks to Luli Jasmine. She had a ship that Grodek took to be a _Diva _class' stealth variant, colored black and dark grey, with at least two more beam cannons that Grodek remembered having on his ship. She also had an untold number of _Darwins,_ mobile suits a plenty, and all of them Shaldolls or worse, armored Genoace that looked absurdly identical to Fox Takeo's Genoace F, with the shoulder-mounted beam cannons and all. They certainly portrayed a more frightening image, coated in black, with glowing red camera eyes.

And she had a mobile armor. A large, nimble mobile armor that had this uncanny way of _tracking _the _Nightingale _no matter where it went. Angrazzo and the other crewmembers were beside themselves and none too happy with this development. After four months of dealing with Jasmine, Grodek suspected they were about to toss him into space or worse—sell him over to her. Granted, Jasmine seemed more interested in something else, constantly referring to the "parcel" that belonged to her. Grodek was not entirely sure if he had guessed right, but it seemed this affected Nike Kingsland especially, as he often went out to attack her forces even when the ship was safely hidden. And thankfully, places to hide were not going to run out soon.

The Sargo was a mess, constantly shifting, changing, with its hideous green vapor cloud and frozen vegetation mixed with copper colored metal and grey pieces of wire and colony plates. Glass was a common item too, scattered about from the size of fingernails to spaceships. And the bodies, so many of them, the corpses of those who had died in whatever disaster rent the Sargo Zone asunder in the last days before the Silver Chalice. Grodek tried to ignore the frozen forms, but it soon became apparent that other things worse waited inside the facilities.

There were stations and factories, all beaten from miniature space rock showers that were known to pelt such places as the moon, scoring the hulls. Water it seemed, had leaked in all sorts of places, inside, leaving them reeking of mildew…and decay. There were plants, tiny budding things that looked like flowering venus flytraps. There were vines, most of them dead, but not all. And there were animal tracks, tracks like Grodek had never seen before. Angrazzo said that many times people would enter the larger installations and bases and never be seen again, or if they were, they were crazed maniacs covered in welts, infected with disease that no one had seen or wanted to be any part of. Grodek believed him. How could he not see the truth in dire rumors when the evidence of _something _was all around. But he had determined to press forward and explore at least a few of the ruins, because history always intrigued him, and one thing he had learned about the world he lived in was that every rock unturned was one more secret left buried to come back and haunt him later.

He also noticed slugs, strange things that seemed to _eat _the interior of the facilities slowly away like blobs of acid given life. What had happened here? Many of the computer terminals were green from the corrosive animals and left unresponsive, even the computer chips had become the egg laying grounds for the slugs.

In one abandoned colony, he found a group of people living quietly in a small sealed off segment filled with rainforest vegetation. They had been very unhappy about his intrusion, but he offered them supplies (without telling Angrazzo and bribing Ginger to help smuggle the goods) which they accepted and let him go, after answering his question that they did not understand what the colony had been used for or what destroyed it, though they spoke some very disturbing warnings about ghosts living in the deeper facilities, and told him that only the smaller stations were relatively safe.

Heading their warnings, he finally stumbled upon a station that offered a single working computer. The tiled floor was cracked, moss had grown into the cracks in the ceiling and died, mold was all over the computer screen, which had been marvelously advanced during its prime. There were no slugs, and the walls had not leaked any water from pipes or other conduits. Breathless, he started up the screen and waited. It took some doing, because the computer kept insisting the processor had crashed and the entire grid was down. Worse, when he finally booted up the inner data, all of it was either corrupt, encoded, or classified. A few quick insertions of his data key programs redirected control to him, allowing for Grodek to scan the basic documents.

Grodek stared at the gaseous world outside his cabin window. What he had learned there only raised more questions. The Sargo had been some kind of biological research center, one with at least ten colonies dedicated to biosphere research, and stations designed to test genetic alterations in relation to terraforming, though he wasn't sure about the significance of that, since there seemed to be no use. The real piece of information that piqued his interest was a file regarding biomechanics, but it was so heavily classified even his hacking skills met adamant resistance. This didn't explain how the whole colony cluster had ended like this, or where the strange gases came from, unless it was really algae and water vapor, which it might be. It appeared something had either gone terribly wrong, or the biogenetic mutations had actually been intended, and the destruction was a result of the civil war in the Federation. There were so many variables, and he was beginning to feel the truth was long lost.

He heard footsteps at the door. He thought it was Largan, and waited. He had a feeling of goosebumps running up his arm, and then realized there was an eye staring at him through the door monitor, the screen darkened so he couldn't tell it was functioning unless he looked..right..at it…Cursing, Grodek leapt out of the chair, his gun out and hand already on the door press. The hatch hissed open with a squeak, but the figure was long gone.

* * *

**Forge Zone**

Mukured and Lalaparly Madorna, stood side by side, hands on the rails of a catwalk spanning the length of a football stadium-sized viewport, giving them an absolute view of the mobile suit assembly line located just outside, where the finished products were being maneuvered through final testing and paint stages. The Genoace II was a stopgap measure, the Shaldoll was the new way to the future. The production number of the machines had already reached number 91, and there would only be more. It would take years more likely than not, for the Federation to totally replace the Genoace line, but when they finally did, the Shaldoll would be waiting.

In the meantime, they were making the Genoace units all the more capable with the new Fortress variant that had once belonged to Fox Takeo, the name having been changed upon the military's insistence.

"Are you sure you want to go through with selling the plans?" Lalaparly asked, leaning up at him. "It's not a wise business move."

Madorna looked back at the line of nearly completed Genoace Fortress machines. "It will get them out to the battlefield faster," he wrapped his arm around her growing waist and put his chin on top of her forehead. "It's a smart business move in my book; let's make the world safe for our child."

Lalaparly put her hand over her husband's and moved closer. In the distance, the glittering blue light of Tycho crater sparkled out of the lunar surface like a diamond in the rough. "It's pretty isn't it?"

"You shouldn't admire it."

"You're admiring it. When it's gone, we'll know we've won."

* * *

Prime Minister Cedrick Fondor listened on the other end of the screen intently. He must remember that Luli Jasmine was a loyal, useful subordinate. _Think fool, _he told himself, drilling the thought deep into his mind.

"I cannot believe Simba Tapiwa was the one responsible for the loss of the Moon. Are you sure your information is accurate, Director Jasmine?"

"If it were not I would not report it," Luli Jasmine said with a slight snarl of disgust in her voice. "The Bisidian group Simba was working with has fled to the Sargo Zone. They have pertinent information on the location of the EXA-DB. If they succeed in decoding it, we would be in grave peril."

"Yes, yes. But the database is an urban legend, or in this case a federal one; something to keep the tax accountants busy while they work."

"Grodek Ainoa is with them," Luli said. "He ruined your Cleansing Operations. Imagine what he might do now."

"He doesn't have the resources, Jasmine." Cedrick threw his hands in the air. "Be realistic."

"But he-

-I know what you want," Cedrick wagged a finger, standing up from a chair in the comm. room. He wasn't entirely certain Maria Diamler wasn't intercepting the transmission, but at this point in the game he didn't really care. His game with Luli was becoming more of a chore. "You want me to send you more weapons. I already gave you a _Phalanx, _what more could you possibly need?"

"Despite your personal beliefs, Minister, remember I still have the most well-grounded intelligence network. Lose me, and you will lose your eyes."

Goodness, Cedrick was _really _losing interest now. But the time would come. Not now though, until he could honestly say he had replaced her operatives with competent ones of his own. "Alright Jasmine, you win. I'll send you…twenty Shaldolls. How does that sound?"

"I require missiles stores, transmission buoys and standard supplies, Minister Fondor. Several high-powered missile weapons would also be most useful in weeding out the Bisidian. They are growing into a powerful force. It would be unwise to let them fester."

"Hm, well, they're just pirates."

"Reckon with them now and not later," Jasmine insisted. "I will deal with them for you while you handle the Martian front. Ract Elfamel is the driving force in their sudden increase in activity. We should turn our attention to him before he resurrects EUBA. The best place to start is with them."

Finally, some useful advice he wasn't already following. "Do that, Jasmine. I for one do not know where Elfamel is at the moment. He is indeed a threat. Now, if you don't mind, I have business with this Martian front you spoke about." He hung up abruptly, hoping it would irritate the dickens out of her. He enjoyed doing that. And using her to remove thorns like Grodek Ainoa and the Bisidian was a sound move. And then there was Ract. Having Jasmine ruffle his feathers enough to make him desperate would goad the man to greater feats. Cedrick couldn't think of anyone else at the moment who was a potential rival, now that Simba was dead. Ract Elfamel might even cause some uprising within the colonies. And how he wondered how that would turn out, perhaps like it had in the past?

Cedrick left the comm. room and strode briskly down the hall, his aides stepping in behind him. Up ahead, a massive viewport revealed the blue hull of the warship set to take charge of the Federation's fleets. It had more anti-MS guns than he could count, multiple beam cannons, seven catapult decks to accommodate its complement of sixty mobile suits, roughly enough to make it worth six _Diva _class cruisers, seven of which were already in various stages of construction in floating, multi-armed construction docks within visual range of the massive capital ship, which was now undergoing internal wiring and engine modifications.

"It cost tax payers a fortune to build this," A Techno Solon representative said, coming up beside Cedrick, his sallow face drown into a frown, not even wanting to ask the question of whether there would be more ships of the _Fortuna _class. The man stared up at the ship which had the honor of bearing its class' name.

"Indeed. I must have more," he turned to the pleasantly surprised representative. "Tell your underlings to bring the paperwork so we may begin construction on the _Victrix _and _Annonaria. _The _Fortuna's _sister ships must be ready one month after she herself is ready for combat."

"But, but this vessel was built from a frame we had already constructed. Building more _Fortuna _class capital ships will take time," the man protested.

Cedrick snapped his fingers. "No wonder it took so fast." He sighed. "Fine, just get them completed as soon as possible." He smiled inwardly. If they didn't finish them fast enough, he just wouldn't pay them the intended amount, martial law and all that. They were at war, after all.

* * *

**Sargo Zone, **_**Phalanx **_**class, **_**Shadow**_

Luli Jasmine sat biting her gum in the depths of her cabin, the monitor blank before her. She was losing her grip on Cedrick, though he had tried to cover that up. Had she misjudged him? He seemed to know more than he was letting on, as if he had already come across the information before she gave it. In this latest meeting, he had been mere syllables from telling her she was no longer of use, if not in so many words. Implications were the same to Luli Jasmine. She floated up to the ceiling and pushed herself toward the door. She had lost her hiding place, she had lost the X labs. She had lost contact with Cinnamon Maugh and that had her worried. She could still activate Mapmaker Two, at least she _thought _she could. There was no current reason unless the Martians did something unacceptable at Tycho, like redirect a Superweapon at the _Shadow. _

Grodek Ainoa had also doubtless placed safeguards to the Voodoo Doll that would give him ways to hack into her own terminal no doubt. She would not underestimate Ainoa. He was the very thing that had gotten in her way. She could be toying with Ezelcant and Cedrick right now as they tried to immigrate their societies together, or orchestrate rebellious forces that did not like the current political atmosphere, all those plans gone up in smoke because of one man and his selfish revenge.

She was losing control, the wheel no longer spun according to her whims! That frustrated Jasmine to no end. Grodek Ainoa must go, she must get Raven One back under her control, and she must find the EXA-DB and set things to rights once and for all.

* * *

**September 22****nd****, AG117-Mars Sphere Second Moon**

Arabel Zoi moved with caution through the dark corridors, searching for a safe place to sleep. Oddly he survived this long because of Decil Galette. The other boy had always been a good tag player, he said that was how the world worked in the underlevels, where having a piece of food meant everyone was it, and you were the only runner. He had other advice to bequeath upon Arabel, such as where to find safe places to sleep that offered protection against predators. Arabel however, was not necessarily sure how the advise stood up against mechanoids. The robotic gafrans were probably less dangerous than their live counterparts, which were totally silent and far, far more vicious in their persistence to hunt. The mechanoids were relentless, but there was something more threatening about a predator stalking you with the intent to _kill and eat. _

"Decil, report," a voice crackled. Arabel grabbed the phone from his pocket and spoke, "I haven't found a good spot yet."

"There's not much time. Feeding hours for the gafrans start in twenty minutes. Set up the beacon the moment you find something."

"Try and make me feel more comfortable why don't you," he muttered, stowing the phone and glancing around the smelly passages. He had grown in the passed two years, the first signs of puberty making him taller and lankier than before, though that did give him much of an edge. Children survived longer down here, they were able to fit through tighter squeezes and steal food on the surface easier than an adult, which usually caught the attention of the mecha guards. There were more and more refugees flooding the moon colony, and that meant more competition.

Not that Cinnamon Maugh intended to stay here forever.

Arabel found a good place to set up camp, a series of interconnecting rooms hewn out as part of some construction site long ago. There were old brass-colored pipes along the ceiling that could be used to hang food and baggage, and the passages allowed for the whole group to remain connected. The entrances were actually not numerous because the four or five openings had been blocked by rubble or piles of scrap metal—another bonus, because metal could always be turned into something by the Rebels' tinkerers. Add one of the E-Gr turrets at the entrance and block up the only other opening and Cinnamon's rebels would have a perfect hideout to begin staging some of their more pressing operations besides finding a safe haven to sleep.

Only thing to do now was set up the beacon and—find out if anything else called this place home. He passed a number of slugs, the creatures leaving trails of acidic slime that would eat away at electronic cables, immune as they were to electric shocks. He licked his lips, the things made for good sauce when squeezed and boiled with mushrooms. He turned a corner, raising his incinerator rifle, peering into the dark and holding his breath. A bright pair of compound eyes stared at him, and Arabel snapped on the rifle's light, revealing a giant mantis. He waited a moment, then saw the pale, flaking skin and knew it to be a corpse or shedding. He stepped around another corner, the last unexplored section, and found it littered with bones. This must have been some animal's nest, and not nearly as tidy as the gafrans and much larger. He saw that the metal plates on the ground here and there were scratched as if by claws, meaning it must be a reptile similar to the lizards, only a solitary creature. He wondered if Baqtos had been based of living things too. Deciding that it was ok so long as this thing didn't come home until after reinforcements—particularly the turret—arrived, he started up the beacon and passed by the mantis corpse.

A noise, imperceptible to all but those who dwelt in the underlevels in fear every day, caught his honed sense of hearing the very instant it started. He spun, just in time to see the Mantis skin wriggling as if it contained a bag of trapped people, then burst asunder, a rattling noise of many feet accompanying the thousands of earwigs as they scuttled across the floor. Arabel felt his heart catch in his throat and leapt back, firing the rifle indiscriminately. Many of the insects vanished away, reduced to stray molecules, but others managed to get under the blasts and were already rushing toward his feet.

He _hated _bugs.

* * *

**The **_**Silhouette, **_**in route to Mars Sphere**

"This is an informal meeting, so feel free to voice your opinions," Amadis Largo said, sitting inside the crew lounge. Adalbrecht Diamler, Flit Asuno and the other pilots, Emily Amonde, and Haro sat or floated around the coffee table.

"I tried to explain to him the formal procedures of a briefing, but he insisted he wasn't a soldier," Adalbrecht said with a shrug.

"There is not much briefing to do," Amadis admitted. "We know very little about the situation at Mars. I want to investigate first the political and social climate—if the Vagan people are happy under Ezelcant, if they will revolt if given the opportunity, or if this high priest Zara has wrested control. This should have been done at the onset of this 'war' but the Prime Minister made no action."

"Is that why you took this upon yourself?" Kannas Westmorland asked. "You have said before that it was Simba Tapiwa who orchestrated the quickening of military build-up prior to the battle over Tycho."

"Simba trusted me with this mission. It has nothing to do with Prime Minister Fondor."

"I disagree with your claim," Flit said, his face growing dubious. "I mean no disrespect, Commander Largo, but you left Cedrick Fondor to assist Simba Tapiwa. I can't believe you still have faith in him now."

Amadis sighed and rubbed his temples. "I admit it, I have begun to lose hope that Cedrick is taking anything seriously. He could be so competent. That's what angers me most."

"It appears Flit and Amadis do not hold our dear leader in the highest esteem," Ivon Alfenoa said, folding his hands behind his head, long hair trapped against his back. Surprisingly, today he had decided to wear his uniform, though it remained open, revealing a brown teeshirt underneath, which was not tucked in. Then again, as Flit noticed, mostly everyone, including Amadis who didn't have a uniform, was dressing more casually. The five months had begun to drag, with five more still on the way.

"I did not say I do not hold him in high regard," Flit countered, "Cedrick Fondor is still Prime Minister, and I give him the due respect he deserves."

"Ah-ah-ah," Ivon wagged a finger. "You questioned Amadis on this matter and Amadis himself is acting without his permission. That means you fail to trust on some degree no matter what you outwardly say. And if you bow and scrape and don't mean it, you don't respect him."

"And what of you?" Flit countered. "You are his cousin."

"True," Ivon admitted. "And that gives me even more right to despise him. The man was always a drinker and a reveler who could lie through his teeth at anyone."

"I'm sure Cedrick Fondor will not deny the usefulness of our mission, depending on what we find out," Adalbrecht said, deftly changing the subject. "What I want to know is: what do we do if the populace are truly in such need as we have had described to us? I know well what the Federation can do, and it would not surprise me to know that the people of Vagan are dying."

"That doesn't matter," Flit said simply, ignoring Emily's warning glance. "We came here to make sure they cannot make a decisive blow against us. We should attack their weapons factories and cause as much possible damage to their war machine as we can, then escape."

"That will require an awful lot of monkey wrenches," Ivon Alfenoa said, sounding serious. "Can the AGE Builder-

-This isn't a time for jokes," Flit snapped. He looked back at his commanding officers. "Is that feacable with our current weapons?"

"Aside from the _Silhouette, _we have two _Darwin Stealths_ at our disposal. I brought along some special operations teams, most of whom are capable at sabotage, though we won't be able to hit _every _facility that manufactures weapons, or any unless we learn more about the geography.

"Then maybe we should strike at the dead center," Flit said, lowering his voice almost as if talking to himself. "If we crush their fighting spirit, then we won't have to worry about them rebelling any longer."

"And what do you mean by that?" Kannas demanded. "One reason I thought the military openly turned on the Special Forces was because they followed similar lines of thought. 'Improve the quality of life by decreasing the surplus'. I thought you wanted to change the Federation, Flit."

"I never wanted that, I joined to fight the Vagan, when we get to their doorstep I don't plan to sit back and do nothing. It's time these people realized what horrors they've committed, the personal way."

"Hold on," Emily said, turning to Flit, "you never said anything like this. Remember that the Vagan are humans, and you have only met a fair few out of millions."

"It would be thinking on par with Cleansing," protested Kannas. "I refuse to be a part of this if that is what Commander Amadis and Captain Diamler decide to do."

"No! We have not even once suggested attacking the civilian populace," Amadis said quickly, raising a hand.

"But don't you see?" Flit asked, peeling himself off from the sofa between Emily and Kannas, "That's the only way we're going to finish them. The more we pester them with delays, the more mobile suits we destroy—the Vagans will keep coming back again and again. How many wars have humanity fought that ended with both sides fighting until one military gave up?"

"They ultimately grew angry enough to attack cities, if I recall," Adalbrecht said grimly. "Flit, you should try to keep your bloodlust down a bit. Bringing personal feelings into a situation will only-

-Personal feelings?" Flit asked, raising his head imperiously, "are what fuel the Federation and every big decision people make."

"You need to cool off," Emily said quietly, grabbing his shirtsleeve, "Now."

"I agree with Asuno," Ivon said with a shrug, "Cleansing was probably my cousin's idea. I could easily see him turning Asuno's speach into a battle plan. Besides, what other kind of long term strategy do we have in an interplanetary war? Mars will be aligning with Earth only every two years or so, but depending upon their exact positions the time to reach it could still increase quite easily. We may gain days or even months of travel time even if we coincide invasions at this time. While the Vagans do not have this problem because they are firmly grounded on the Moon. A long battle is to their advantage, while waging an interplanetary war will only increase our problems. Their ships move faster, remember. If we went by how many successful strikes could be pulled off planet to planet, Mars could strike us multiple times while we would have to wait at least a year before a strike could be feasible with a strategically sound timetable."

"So you are saying the damage done in each of these attacks must be very high," Amadis said darkly, eyes narrowing, his brown eyebrows creased together.

"My point exactly," Flit said, starting to leave before Emily embarrassed him again. "And you, Adalbrecht, I'm surprised you don't have the nerve. I expected more backbone from the man who assisted Stonewell in planning the UE strikes."

"Excuse me for a moment," Adalbrecht said, peeling himself off the chair he had been sitting in and pushed after Flit.

Kannas watched them go and looked back at Amadis. "This is one reason why I think the Federation should be reformed, we must make sure something like this is never brought up as an option ever again."

Amadis looked down, unable to refute that what Flit said was logical. "I don't think I can promise that."

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

"This is a good place," Cinnamon Maugh said confidently, hands crossed over her chest, brown cloak pulled back over her shoulder like a cape, along with her hood, revealing mahogany hair and prominent high-cheekbones that supported her lustrous tanned skin. Cinnamon looked down at Arabel, who stood by with apprehension. "Did the earwigs scare you?" She asked derisively.

"Only a little. I didn't get them all…

"We have repellant and pesticide," Cinnamon countered coolly before looking out at her band of followers, who were unloading old crates filled with supplies. "I am worried about thieves again. The food crisis is horrific my sources tell me. The crops were _devastated_."

"I know, Arabel said with a slight shudder, trying to keep his own stomach from growling. "They say there are you know, people are-

-cannibalizing?"

Arabel nodded wordlessly, his stomach stopped growling and seemed to comply that food might not be such a good thing to get after all. Too much grumbling though, and Arabel wondered if that feeling of disgust might start fading away.

"Well, not to worry, they cannot harm us here," Cinnamon declared, pointing at the pieces to an improvised battle mecha, a petite mobile with a small beam machinegun and RPG tube. The cockpit was open, a grave threat to snipers, but there wasn't anything to make a cockpit bubble with, so the pilots would have to make due.

"If we can organize our forces here, we may be able to storm the central core and shut down the gravity generator," Cinnamon said, lowering her voice. Now that Arabel had grown to what might pass for the beginnings of young adulthood, Cinnamon had been confiding her plans with him. "Then we can storm the Overlord's Palace and Fire Temple in the confusion. With that done, Second Moon will be all but ours."

"Do we have enough followers for that?" Arabel asked, trying to keep the sudden flash of excitement out of his voice.

"Not yet, but as the suffering grows, so shall we."

* * *

**The **_**Silhouette, **_**en route to Mars**

Flit reached the access hatch to the mobile suit hanger when Adalbrecht caught up with him. "I'm not in the mood to talk with you," Flit said simply.

The older man grabbed Flit and hurled him back against the bulkhead. He leaned down, blue eyes flashing in a snarl, "Why are you so bent on patronizing me?" He demanded, obviously fighting to keep his voice down. "I thought we were family and could get along somehow. You accepted my mother after some sweet words and tears, yet spurn me like the plague!" He let go of Flit's head, allowing him to spin around, which he did, fast, aiming a punch at Adalbrecht, which the other man blocked.

"I still don't fully trust _her_," Flit retorted, "and why should I? I don't think my friends and family would lie about her, and Boyage said you were a planner in the attacks. That makes you an enemy, just like the Vagan," Flit said, voice growing deadly calm, the glint in his eyes said a thousand words.

Adalbrecht darted forward, grabbing Flit by the scruff of the neck and pulling him closer, his own eyes flashing. "I came to such a position because I wanted to make a difference in what the Special Forces did! I didn't know in the beginning that Cedrick Fondor was an advocate for Cleansing or that one American Magistrate, whatever his name is."

"Why would you do such a high-minded thing? It doesn't sound profitable for a Diamler like _you._" Flit admonished.

Adalbrecht looked as though he might spit in Flit's face, then his features twisted in what Flit almost thought was despair. "I didn't choose this name you know—it was my mother who did it to appease her new husband. Don't you know what it feels like to be disgraced? Of course not, you've always been the one who lived in the limelight of the family, received the AGE device, and the fortune, for what it was worth. I got nothing, not even your kindness. What does my mother receive, not much better, save the last one. I don't understand you. I'm an Asuno like you, I have the same blood in my veins as you, yet this is how you treat me." Adalbrecht drew back, his fists clinched, ready to strike.

Flit looked at him suspiciously. "How can I even know that? You're the son of Mycroft Diamler."

"No, I'm not. I'm Kendre Asuno's son. But it looks like that doesn't matter to anyone, so it might as well not mean a thing to you. Our family has lived in mild disgrace with the Federation ever since the incident with the technology, one reason why our fathers could never do anything with the AGE device right away. If not for Orvan, the Federation would have felt sure the device still existed, and wasn't spacedust."

"What are you-

-It's in the journal," Adalbrecht countered. "Another thing that belongs to me that you stole, your Father's though it was, I and my mother should have gotten it until you grew up. And look—you don't even know our history!" He threw up his hands and stomped away, magnet-coated shoes clanking on the floor in his rage. He pushed himself off the floor and grabbed a passing lift-grip, turning a blazing eye on Flit, who stared back in mild shock. "I'll find a way to restore what's rightfully mine one day, and see which of the two of us is worthy of the name Asuno."

Flit watched him go and then entered the mobile suit hanger to stare at the AGE-1. He fingered in his pocket for the absent AGE device. Sighing in resignation, he turned away. It was time to finish that journal.

* * *

**October 17****th****, AG117-Earth Sphere, Sargo Zone **

Grodek Ainoa and Largan Drace drifted through the abandoned depths of a space station, what it had been used for was a mystery, and the technology within was nothing like anything Grodek had seen. It was obvious large portions of the primary components to operate just about everything had been purposefully removed, probably by order of the Federation to make sure no one used the wreckage to study and duplicate banned technology. Was that when the entire place had been so brutally wrecked, had the scientists and other personnel resisted?

They both stopped in a corridor, a rank odor wafting from a door turned a sickly green from corroding lights above and moss trailing over its surface. "Don't look," Grodek commanded, "neither of us want to know."

"Why are we meeting in a place like this?" Largan asked, looking back toward the air lock, which had not resealed properly. Largan closed his helmet's visor, deciding he didn't want to breathe the air. Grodek shook his head and gestured for Largan to open in up again.

"The comm. units can be tapped, but not used as microphones unless turned on." He waited for Largan to deactivate his helmet's earpiece and then looked back up. "We don't know who the spy is, and we don't know if there are bugs in place throughout the _Nightingale_. So I thought this was a good precaution to take."

"So who is it?" Largan asked.

"I haven't found any substantial clues. I doubt it is Iris Julia, because she is Ract's minion of that I am positive. It could be a nondescript member such as a mechanic or other mundane worker, however I believe it must be someone more deeply rooted within the crew."

"So what do we do?" Largan asked, spreading his arms, "go to Ang and tell him either Ginger or Mozart are spies?"

"I doubt it's Ginger, the boy is just too incompetent. Mozart is a possibility." He crossed his arms, "We have to observe them closely. Angrazzo said there are some Bisidian supply caches hidden here. Among them are the monoliths Ract Elfamel was collecting. This Wilma Nightflare woman is going to help me decode them, which could take months. I have until we start to find out the enemy. I cannot stand the thought of working on sensitive information regarding the EXA-DB with a spy on the ship."

"Have you told Ang?"

"He is on the list of possible suspects, I cannot chance confronting him. It would also be better to do this with only the two of us aware and see what we can turn up."

"So…how do we go about doing that? You want me to start asking questions? Only the pilots wouldn't get suspicious, and I'm only on friendly terms with Mhatt and Nike. The others don't seem interested." He blushed slightly, "although Misty has made some um, hints that she might be interested in other ways."

"Wait a moment—you said Mhatt is on friendly terms with you? When did this come about?"

"He was always pretty friendly, actually," Largan said, gesturing with one arm while the other supported it at the elbow, "That's what got me as odd when he suddenly went wild that time at that lunar base."

Grodek lowered his gaze to the green, moldy floor. Some kind of mechanical fluid was floating past in a stream of bubbles from a crack between the tiles. "I did not think of that before as something substantial. Angrazzo assured me Mhatt's behavior was typical of a Hound if he doesn't get his way. I see now that it served as a good distraction for Jasmine. Still, I need more evidence."

"Remember Mhatt can operate the comm. from his station," Largan said.

"Can he," Grodek stroked his beard and finally nodded, making up his mind. "I will take Mhatt and Mozart along on the search to find the first set of monolith computers. They are stored in two separate places, so we have two opportunities to formulate parties of possible suspects. Nike should go to, he has a history with Jasmine, I'm sure of it."

"I get what you're figuring," Largan said with a humorless smile. "Anything can happen in places like this."

"Exactly. If we are going to remove a spy, we have to do it in a place like this. Judging by how close-knit the _Nightingale _crew is, there would be serious trouble otherwise. And this is saying that there is only one spy. For all we know, there could be several."

"Then let's get to it," Largan said, turning to go, pinching his nose in the process. "Before I pass out from the stench."

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Milias Alloy took off with a flash, angling the Razor wear down toward the Moon's grey landscape. Behind her, Ewen Winter launched soon afterward, his red Shaldoll carrying a new anti-ship mobile suit-use beam cannon, which had come to be called a mega launcher by the mechanics, not having anything but a numbering and no official codename. It was a weapon Techno Solon had pumped out after examining the details of how the Gundead's bazooka worked.

The white armor of the G-Exes swung down beside her silver and blue Gundam, carrying its standard weapons, along with a pair of missile pods attached to its ankles. Ahead of them, Milias felt her senses pinpoint two places where there were cloaked mining installations. It was time to make up for last time, assuming the Veinidorr did not show up to spoil the fun.

"Don't be a spoiled sport," laughed Woolf. "This time I got in on the action, so no worries."

As if to contest his boast, Milias felt her senses surge with a spike of energy in the back of her head, making her feel tingly and ticklish. A vision of a rabid animal materialized before her, along with a picture of snow falling. She willed the visions away. Those two child X-Rounders again, they had gotten proficient at mental projection, the use of which was quite efficient at _annoying _her before a battle. She decided to give into their challenge and sent the Razor darting down ahead of its teammates.

A _So Lin _materialized below and unleashed a blast of beam fire. Two machines rushed from its open cargo hatch and dashed up to meet her, both leaving tails of light from their thruster panels. One was a black and purple Farsia, the other the yellow and black Zedas. The latter transformed to its mobile suit mode and drew its jagged blade combatively.

"It's time for a rematch," a girl's voice said, shrill with energy.

"Come," Milias shouted back, the halo rippling around her field of vision as she deployed the Razor's Mantis claws and dashed forward with a flash from the Gundam's eyes.

* * *

**Second Moon**

The sounds of groans and screams echoed from above as hunters descended on their prey. The children were being targeted first it seemed. Arabel Zoi was now grateful for the longer legs and acne beginning to pop up on his face, it made him look older than he really was, though he supposed his thirteenth birthday was not that far away. He mentally plugged his ears to shut out a shrill shriek of terror and pain, and plunged out into the light and onto the outer reaches of Second Moon, the Fire Temple not far away.

He had a mission to perform. Go inside, pretend to pray, then sneak about and try to place a listening device Cinnamon gave him in the Zoroaster's private chamber. Hopefully they could then listen in on important conversations and get a clearer picture of when to make their first strike.

* * *

**Earth Sphere the Moon**

Milias dipped down into a slim gorge, dodging consecutive blasts of beam fire from Dole Frost's funnels. Unlike the original Farsia, this one's funnels were pyramidal in shape, with the gun nozzle poking out where the capstone should be. Flashing with yellow light as they maneuvered, the funnels were proving to be bothersome. Ewen Winter dashed overhead and leveld off the mega launcher, firing a pulsing blast that drove off the Farsia. Vagan turret installations and missile launchers suddenly blew apart their false covers on the surface around the top of the gorge and began pumping fire and missiles into the air, driving the red Shaldoll backward.

"We're coming in," the _Diva's _operator called as the red and white warship plunged down near the ground and began firing its cannons, blasting apart the missile installations before they could cycle their targeting sensors onto the _Diva. _"Make sure the suits are out of the way so we can hit the mine buildings."

Milias complied by jetting the Razor further into the gorge, the other end of which emptied into a wide basin with cooled lava at the bottom where the two hidden bases sat. The enemy Zedas plummeted from above in a comet of golden light and sped at her, Mink's growling visage appearing for a moment in Milias mind's eye before vanishing. The two clashed in a shower of sparks, the Zedas driving Milias back as it activated both of its yellow beam sabers and spun, slashing with one blade with each rotation.

"Easy," Milias chided, sending her Mantis claws forward to stab the Zedas as it finished a slash and exposed its back in a spin. Then suddenly its foot came up and trapped the blade in the bend of its knee. The Zedas spun around at its torso and raised both sabers to cut the Razor to ribbons, Mink screaming her triumph.

The G-Exes rushed down, slashing with its beam longsaber, cutting off the Zedas' shoulder armor as it dashed away at full speed.

"Thanks," Milias called, taking off after the Zedas as Woolf pulled back up to cleave a beam turret to pieces, the G-Exes' thrusters sending up a flash of exhaust.

Milias entered the clearing just as the _Diva _dove down overhead, firing a rain of missiles into the basin. Milias took aim and fired at the disc-shaped cloak generators sitting near the first station, slaloming through a wave of beam fire coming from the two turrets standing sentry on either side of the projector. A powerful red blast from Ewen's launcher blew apart both turrets, spraying the projector with half-molten shrapnel. The projector went down, and the _Diva _spun about on its levitator and unleashed a full salvo of crackling beams into the station, sending up a wave of fire.

Milias charged at the adjacent station, firing her DODS rifle. The Zedas swooped in, barrelrolling faster and faster until it was a spinning blur, it released its beam machineguns on the Razor in a flash, driving Milias back. She managed an X-Region assisted shot, spearing the turret in her line of fire and spraying the remaining projector with the shrapnel too. But it did not go down. The _Diva's _right side exploded in a flash of light as a pair of missiles streaked in even under heavy fire from the anti-MS batteries.

Milias felt the clicking and growled her annoyance, blocking a saber slash from the Zedas and slicing off its arm with a bladed kick. An image of what Milias took to be a roaring lion flashed into her face, something this particular pilot seemed to enjoy doing.

_You're going to PAY! _The girl shouted in Milias' mind. Shaking her head, Milias sped forward, deftly disarming the enemy pilot with her own blades and grabbing the front skirt armor knife with her Gundam's free hand, Milias pierced the enemy's torso cannon, rendering it useless. Then the remaining beam turret covering the projector fired and seared the back of the Razor, damaging its thrusters. Skidding wildly, Milias used the foot thrusters to slide underneath another pillar of saffron energy and hurl her boomerang at the turret, cutting it in half. Flying up over the debris, Milias drew her DODS rifle and blew apart the remaining cloak projector.

Then she looked to the side and found the Veinidorr charging at her, beam tonfa at the ready, a trio of missiles rushing up ahead of it.

"I'll handle him," Woolf called, rushing down to spear one of the missiles with a DODS rifle blast. The other warheads banked away, and the two machines met in a furious series of sword blows.

Below in the basin, the first mining station blew apart in a tremendous blast visible from Tycho, who's great sides rose up like a wall of mountains in the distance, its glowing domed top sparkling against the black space behind.

* * *

G **Tycho Crater base, Adamantine**

"We mean no disrespect, Supreme Commander," the first officer said, a tall, rail-thin man with a mustache. "This has gone long enough. We should use Kratos to blast an enemy target, not sit here uselessly."

Three of the other officers, one of whom was the base commander nodded their agreement.

An Grams sighed. He contemplated the action, but saw no strategic point in reducing Big Ring or other station to stardust. After all, the enemy would not give up just because a primary installation had been decimated. Worse, there was no guarantee the shield would not require _significant _time to regenerate after firing. That meant putting the projectors themselves at risk until the crystal diffused the heat and regenerated.

"Not yet, not until we have a plan for what we do after the attack. We need to know where they must be hit hardest."

"But _do _we have a plan?" The mobile suit force coordinator asked, his heavy brow set in a constant frown.

An Grams looked down and sighed. He paused to smile at the list of data Medel Zant had given him. The boy was tired of his dull, boring mission of trailing the enemy infiltration force headed for Mars, and had taken his time to something productive, such as formulating possible strategies and targets for An Grams to hit. Surprisingly, most of them he himself had not thought of, as they were quiet adacious and unconventional.

_The types of strategies that win wars, _He thought to himself. He looked back up at his commanding staff and rose to his feet. "Indeed. Our primary focus will be on the construction yard near the colony designated as the Solon Cluster. The defenses there will be immense, so we will have no choice but to take forces out of Adamantine. With an enemy blockade right above us watching our every move, we will have to deal with them first, or wait until _Zul Dahala _arrives." He folded his arms. "Wait until then, please. Time is on our side, at least for the moment. Let us take advantage of that for all it is worth, and see to it that our production rate doubles by February."

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

Arabel Zoi had just exited the Zoroaster's private chambers, and was close to thinking he had made a quick getaway, when suddenly a familiar face rounded a pillar and stopped short dead in front of him.

"Arabel Zoi?" Yurin L'Ciel asked, her bright, blue violet eyes lighting up with recognition. She had changed so much, and looked so regal in red violet robes of a priestess, with red gem earrings sparkling on either side of her face.

Arable wanted to say hello, to be greeted at least once by a friendly face. So he stood there stupidly for two seconds. That was all it took for Yurin to cross that distance and put a hand on his head with a smile.

"You're growing up. You are almost as tall as me now."

Arabel didn't know what to do. If he bolted, she might find out and report that something was wrong to Yark Dole, if he was around, or worse—the Zoroaster. "I've got to go," he said as if in a hurry, moving past her.

"Wait," Yurin cried, grabbing his wrist. Arabel jerked away and dashed off as fast as he could, weaving through the pillars, the sound of Yurin's sandals clacking against the floor as she pursued, now no longer crying out for his name. She meant to capture and question him, and he could not let that happen no matter the cost. In a moment he found the hidden entrance to the temple an informant had told him about, and he rushed through, praying Yurin didn't know about it.

In a matter of minutes, he was beneath the surface, running back into the dark, cold, lonely world that had become his home. Hot tears wet his face as he ran, not daring to look back, lest someone try to grab him. Was this going to be forever? He didn't want to live in this underground hell. He didn't want to run from people like Yurin who might be helpful, or caring. His father was dead, his home colony probably smashed against the Martian earth. How long? He cried all the more and ran even faster. He would find a way out, even if it meant killing that snake Cinnamon Maugh in her sleep, or betraying the rebel forces to Ezelcant. He swore it, he screamed it as he dashed deep into the blackness.

* * *

**October 25****th****, AG117-Earth Sphere, Sargo Zone, the **_**Nightingale**_

On the bridge of his ship, Angrazzo Lambro stared out the viewport. Amidst a sea of green gas, the brown form of the SID mobile armor floated almost motionless. Every now and then, it jerked to the right or left, head moving side-to-side, crimson mooneye cutting a visible beam of light through the green haze. It was searching for the monoliths, Angrazzo was sure of it, just like it had done to the Treasure Star fleet. Would it do the same to the _Nightingale _now? The monstrous terror of space shifted its gaze, mooneye blazing straight at the viewport, filling Angrazzo's vision with red, searching.


	23. Chapter 22 Breakthrough

_**Chapter Twenty Two Breakthrough **_

* * *

**Journal Entry 401—Ellesmere Isle, North Pole, AG96, March 14****th**

"We arrived at the North Pole. Kendre wants to search further north, but the data monolith pointed here."

**March 15****th****—**"Scanned through the surface. Nothing. Going to make preparations for submarine. Kendre insists panning the seafloor."

**Journal Entry 402—Polar Sea Ice sheet, March 17****th**—"First dive today, found an old battleship, looks promising."

"Second dive after lunch, found nothing but old mobile suit wreckage. Someone is watching our movements; a boat with a white hull crossed off our portside and nearly capsized us when we tried to evade. No response from the bridge."

"Third dive, nothing on radar but old debris caught our attention. Our watchers passed in their own submersible."

**March 17****th**—"Found it. An old colony drop shelter, just like the description we found at the Sargo monolith. Half buried in the sediment, it moved surprisingly fast. It broke through the ice sheet. We found a portal and went inside, there was a great deal of stored equipment. Most of the doors are closed, we cannot get further in, perhaps a fusion saw is in order, Kendre went back to get it."

"Fusion saw stolen, going to Svalbard to buy a new one. I am troubled why someone wants to hinder us."

**Journal Entry 403—Svalbard Island, North Pole, March 22****nd**

"Kendre wants to return to Maria, she is having trouble with the delivery. I said go, but worried about the watchers."

**March 25****th**—"I cannot wait for Kendre. The watchers broke into my hotel room and tried to kidnap me. I fought them off, but I injured my leg. It hurts. I am going back to the shelter before they do something there."

"At the shelter, but the whole place is ransacked. The doors were not forced open, I think even a fusion saw could not open them, many burns in the door suggest they tried this."

"I found something that might be useful in a tool set. It is a pocketable device. I don't know what it is for, although it has data encoded. Marina is an expert, I will take it to her."

"Kendre left a message, it's a boy. He named him Adalbrecht."

**Journal Entry 404—**"No time to write. Assassins came last night, but fought them, took my laptop cell. Warned Marina. I think they are government people. The officer at the station asked some very strange questions

* * *

Flit Asuno turned another page, the last bit of the entries lost in the charred paper. The next paper was stained with blood, and he barely made out most of the words. It seemed that the last section of Alfred Asuno's journal had been damaged the most, and it was turning out this was the very section he needed most.

**Journal Entry 410—Colony Orvan, March 31****st**

"The accident happened today. Maria is distraught and won't listen to reason. Although I doubt it can be proven I won't believe it was an accident. Kendre was an X-Rounder who could see a bus coming around a bend before it happened. I know it couldn't surprise him. The engine looked like it blew from an internal force too, but the detective stopped answering my messages and the police did not answer, I called two minutes ago."

"I named the machine I found the AGE device. It has useful data but not all of it could be accessed yet. I have to leave Orvan before the government tries something against Marina. There are footsteps on the stair."

"Hiding."

The remaining entries after this were covered in blood or damaged from what appeared to be some kind of spill long before the fire.

**Journal Entry 411**

"I might have to hide this. Cruise liner blew up, I was pushed into a capsule by a young crewmember, bless her soul, I owe her my life. What caused this? I booted the device up and found something odd in its command listing"-The writing grew shaking and almost illegible. A touchup pen had been used to remove some of the smears and make the writing clearer, but not completely-"claws. I'm adrift with no way of knowing if it will follow."

"It is following."

**Journal Entry 413—April 7****th**

"I'm with Boyage. His offer to take me to Madorna's Workshop is paying off, no sign of It anywhere on scanners. Madorna has a new worker with him, Aren. The man is a genius, he decoded the last bit of data. I refuse to touch the mystery command, it would bring that thing down on us again. Is it a government mobile armor? I don't know."

The writing once again grew illegible, though it seemed pages had been ripped out on purpose by someone. Most of the pages afterward were burned, making them difficult to read.

**Journal Entry 515(date unkown)**

"Madorna isn't safe. A vandal blew apart the entire assembly line and nearly killed Lalaparly. I have to leave before they do something worse, but they insist this is to draw me out."

"I am leaving this journal and the AGE device here with Madorna. Marina, if you are reading this I want you to know I love you more than you can know. I am sorry we couldn't go to the doctor together. I hope it's a boy. Take care of the device, but don't dare let anyone know about it. If Maria asks, tell her it is nothing, she lost Kendre because of this. I don't expect this to be the last entry, but I am leaving the journal here in case something is wrong. Tear out the notes on the data I collected, you cannot let anyone find them.

"I'm leaving now. Remember, the last page is the most important. I dare only write it in one place. I will see you shortly, Love, Alf."

* * *

Flit put down the journal and flipped to the last page, it was missing as well, torn out. He groaned and tossed the book away, most of the pages at the very end utterly useless. He assumed Marina tore them out as instructed, and lost them in Orvan's destruction.

He didn't need to read how the story ended though. Alfred Asuno did not return to Orvan after leaving Madorna's Workshop. His body was never recovered.

* * *

**February 8****th****, AG118-Mars Sphere vicinity, the **_**Silhouette**_

Amadis Largo stepped forward, the crew of the _Silhouette _sitting in the briefing room in front of him. Behind Amadis, the display screen showed the red planet in the distance, no less than twenty four hours away.

"Now that we have come this far, I think it is high time I warned you all about a certain danger involved with approaching the Mars Sphere." He paused to make absolutely certain he had their full attention. "As you well know, the Federation is to blame for the imprisonment of the Martian colonists. However, using nuclear equipped blockade vessels was a temporary measure. In order to make certain rebel dissidents did not attempt to flee with illegal technology to some distant reach of the System, the Federation programmed their ultimate Superweapon, the Angra Zenon fortress laser, to stand sentinel over the Mars Sphere and other planets. It can move with extreme speed, and is roughly the size of a small Moon."

"Excuse me, Sir," Flit said, raising his hand. "Did you say, 'Angra' Zenon?"

"I thought it was dismantled," Ivon Alfenoa said with a slight frown. "So it wasn't after all."

"Why is the name of so much concern, Ensign Asuno?" Amadis asked.

"I—Don Boyage tried to tell me something before he died, but all he managed was Angra."

"I find it strange he could know about your mission, unless you told him," Amadis said with a hint of warning. "Nevertheless, Angra Zenon's existence might be known to Zalam. It is a grave threat, possessing an umbrella cloak system that makes it virtually undetectable. As such we have no idea if it is monitoring the Mars Sphere, or patrolling another planetary body. It has very detailed scanners that match illegal technology with anything within its range, and it will destroy such offending vessels or what have you without a moment's hesitation. Thankfully, our ships are not quite advanced enough for us to worry about becoming targets, although it may attempt to block us from arriving within the Mars Sphere's graviy signature, which forces it to abort operations. This was done to make sure it did not materialize at Earth should we need to construct superior weapons, and blow us to kingdom come." He put his hands behind his back. "At this stage, we cannot assume the enemy is still hindered by Angra Zenon. We are going to test whether or not they still fear its presence by monitoring the pursuing vessel behind us. If they attack within the next two hours, we can assume the Vagan are unable to move without detection and still consider Angra Zenon a threat."

"Are there any questions?" Adalbrecht Diamler asked.

"What about your ships, Sir?" The captain of one of the _Darwin Stealth _inquired, raising her hand.

"We have not yet decided. Considering the we have an enemy on our tail, the Vagans are more than likely alerted to our presence. We may want to keep one of your ships in reserve."

Flit began twiddling his thumbs. He did not like the sound of any of this. Such offensive power, a Superweapon! It could not be a coincidence. But how did Boyage know to warn him he may encounter such a dangerous thing? Flit hadn't told him about his mission. Flit mulled it over as Amadis dismissed the meeting. Did this have to do with the pages torn out of his father's journal? The notes were lost to history, and Flit was left to ponder it without hope of ever finding the answer.

* * *

It was watching. The Mars Sphere was a nest of illegal contaminant. Now and then small craft escaped its scanners, and so it would remain stationary and guard the Mars Sphere until reinforcements came. It was confused, as much as its delightfully stupid AI computer was able. It had encountered a paradox in its orders: destroy all illegal objects matching banned technology within its database—and, most confusing—no entering the mass shadow of any planetary body, which was not to be placed as a target for its Supernova star core plasma cannon. The Mars sphere was a planetary body, so it could not enter into its gravity well or target the offending colonies to destroy them. Yet it was _ordered _to destroy them, because that giant moon colony was a breach of laws if ever it knew one. Yet it could not fire because said colony was a planetary body within the gravity signature of a planetary body.

This was not a novel delimma, it had encountered such paradoxical commands before. Once it had been ordered by the Mistress to eradiate the Earth Sphere with its Solar Furnace. But for whatever reason, that order had been countermanded, leaving it wondering what to do. It was ordered to obey the Mistress, yet it was also forced to comply with the Controller's commands. Ultimately, it had settled upon a compromise: sit and wait for further instruction.

That had been before though, this was a different problem because it had been told it would never again be contacted for further instructions. This meant the solution was its to decide on its own, no small source of constant stress. It had decided to blow apart the illegal battleship designated "Vega", and as a result the first Martian moon had been reduced to space rubble, which was a direct violation of its original command. That wouldn't do, so it decided that no more should it attack planetary moons. But that moon colony was illegal—no, it couldn't attack because of the aforementioned determination not to fire on planetary bodies.

So it decided to simply wait and see if the enemy would come out of Mars Sphere's mass shadow, in which case it would charge up its primary weapons and terminate them all. Small ships escaped to and fro, but it remembered what had happened because of the ship designated "Vega" and so left them alone so long as they traveled alone and not in pairs. But they're data matched the profile of illegal ships, they had to be destroyed. So it once again compromised and decided to destroy them only _part _of the time, that way both internal commands would be satisfied without it having to sit there and do _nothing _at all.

After all, there had been that other incident at Jupiter Sphere where one of the moons was disregarded as a trapped asteroid and blown apart. Struggling to come to terms with the fact it had breached explicit instruction not to attack planetary bodies, it had been forced to sit there and wait while many more fleeing ships arrived safely inside the protection of Jupiter Sphere's very large gravity well.

Suddenly an alarm flashed and threw up a system-wide map indicating the enemy had ventured out of Neptune Sphere again. It didn't quite like Neptune, it was always so hard to be sure the detected objects were actual vessels or not, and Neptune was too far away from Jupiter Sphere and Mars Sphere—particularly Mars Sphere because it had that colony moon that was such a dilemma of protocol. But orders were orders, and it must obey with all speed. The gravity repulse engine started up, the Solar Furnace activated to propel it forward at all speed to Neptune Sphere. It wished it could just power up the Supernova, which could easily reach such a target, but that might endanger Neptune Sphere. Not acceptable, since an actual sphere was vastly more important than its orbiting satellite.

* * *

Although the small, _Phalanx _class vessel not far away could not see it, the massive, eye-shaped Angra Zenon turned its primary cannon on Neptune and disappeared in a flash.

* * *

**The **_**Silhouette**_

On the bridge of the ship, Adalbrecht jerked his head up as a brilliant flash of light as bright as the Sun dimmed the stars in front of the viewport and left his eyes covered in black spots. "What was that flash?"

"Heat sensors increased dramatically for a moment, Sir."

Adalbrecht scowled. Was that a defensive measure of the Vagan, or was it Angra Zenon moving in the shadows behind its cloak?

* * *

**February 26****th****, AG118-Mars Sphere, the **_**Silhouette**_

Flit Asuno sat inside the cockpit of the Gundam AGE-1, staring into space. This was the eve of Ambat's anniversary, fitting he would be waiting to strike against the Vagan again on the very same day.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Sargo Zone**

Grodek Ainoa sighed with fatigue as he stepped into an open, almost empty room composed of brown metal thankfully not covered in mold. The Bisidian had set up this base quite some time ago, and although Grodek could not understand why, Angrazzo in particular seemed to blame _him _for it.

"I could still be in the Uzalt but _no_, you had to get Ract all jittery and made me move _everything_." Grodek still couldn't get the full truth out so he decided to drop the issue, although there were some vague memories of the Poluos storage satellite harboring pirates.

Wilma Nightflare sat at the far end, working on a trio of monoliths, the internal circuitry lying all around her like vines growing out of a tree trunk. The older woman was near sixty, with bright, flashing dark eyes, grey hair with streaks of silver and white. She wore a shawl about her shoulders, saying that at her age, space was a cold place. She was not a very talkative sort, happy to stay out of everyone's way. Iris Julia however, warned that Wilma Nightflare was the type of woman who was going to get her way.

"You're late," Wilma said with a rather furious scowl, she touched the wire ends in either hand together, producing an electric pop. "I was wondering if the so-called master hacker Ang brought on was going to join me."

"I was injured by a fragmentation mine while searching for these data cores," Grodek said, putting one hand on the monolith. "The injury has healed, although I am short one liver."

"How inglorious a way to lose an organ," Wilma said almost condescendingly, looking down with concentrated eyes on the wires, which she was manipulating like needlework. "Ract Elfamel wants the EXA-DB. Is he aware that these monoliths are actually databases themselves?"

"I do not believe so, and this is news to me as well," Grodek said, coming to sit down on the other end of the wire mass.

"Well, the data is going to be hard to retrieve, seeing as how these things were sat up so a specific machine was to dismantle them and then rearrange the wiring. Don't even ask how it's done, I'm still trying to figure that out."

"You seem to be doing an impressive job," Grodek said, looking at all the spliced wires.

"I learn as I go," she replied. "We have more pressing problem. That mobile armor will be sent a tracking signal from these monoliths when or if we actually get them to run."

"Oh? That is going to be a problem. Perhaps we should make decoys and sow the tracking devices inside, then place them somewhere deeper in the Sargo Zone."

"Full of ideas aren't you? Well, I thought of it first. Mozart and Nike are on their way here. We'll get them to take the fakes out somewhere SID will have trouble finding them."

Grodek winced. "Last time I went out with that pair on a mission, it didn't end well."

"The mine?"

Grodek frowned. "That, and they have…differing tastes in music, style, speech, and general worldview."

* * *

**The Moon, Tycho Crater Fortress, Adamantine**

Angelo Enreze awoke to the feverish buzzing of the Nanos-zsells, like always. But today there was an urgency he could not comprehend fully. A quality in the incessant noise that made him grab at his shorts and nightshirt with is fingers, tearing at the clothing like a cat. That stupid doctor had arrived the previous night to give him an examination, but Angelo had knocked the breath out of him with a mighty left hook. The filthy scoundrel wasn't at fault, it was the fault of those deranged maniacs who created the Nanos-zsell interface in the first place. He hoped Mars did its worst to them.

And now he could not fathom living any longer with a sane mind. He had to destroy the Gundam, so those children could stop fighting. His missions with Dole Frost and Mink had gone smoothly enough, particularly Mink, who could pick her targets and go. But the sheer knowledge he was relying on the children had grown unbearable. What would Telemari think of that? Would she pity him? He shook his head, unable to reason it all out. He had to defeat the Gundams, all of them. He would crush the white Gundam, and then Milias Alloy and her AGE-1.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew the reason why he feared Flit Asuno's creation, some deep, intelligent piece of thought that nobody had yet thought of. For some reason though, he could not get at it, like something slipping through creased or buttered hands.

It took him a few minutes to dress properly, but when he finished he stepped out into the corridor. Telemari Agori was waiting for him.

"You look exhausted," she said, her brow furrowed in concern. "What's wrong?"

"I got nothing wrong," he replied.

She put her hands out to stop him, but he brushed passed her without a second glance. He was no good to her now as a friend. He was only good for fighting. He couldn't even hold conversation. If he destroyed the AGE-1, then the madness would end.

"Angelo, please! I'm trying to help you," she pleaded, starting after him.

"You aren't a ship's counselor." He said.

* * *

"If you plan to move, then you had better do it soon," Zoroaster Zara said, his holographic form shifting and grainy to a point he looked like a pillar of colored sand. "Ourur trans-ransmisions are not power-ful enough nutil the magnetic storms have stabilized."

An Grams sat straight in his chair, listening to Zara for the first time since the cataclysm. Two more holographic forms stood behind Zara, one Fardain—now Adamantine's, minister of internal affairs, and Nixean McArver, his transmission clear and lifelike, voice completely devoid of muffles and disruption.

"You must strike now, Lord Grams," McArver said, stepping forward. "If the enemy succeeds in reverse-engineering our technology, which they undoubtedly will, it is over for Vagan. I believe other members of the commanding staff made mention of this in my absence."

An Grams felt his usually long temper shrivel in a flash of anger. He frowned and leaned his meaty cheek against his fist. "So that was your doing, Nixean. I don't appreciate that kind of behavior from my officers."

"His point is sound. You should use Kratos to its full potential and begin purging the blue planet of its heavily populated areas. Don't frown at me like that," Zara said, his image flickering. "Ever since the second great war of the Anno Domini calendar, where the United States and Britain struck back at the Nazi Germans, and long back into antiquity, destroying the enemy's populated regions has been a proven and sound military tactic to weaken moral."

"And sully the ground in blood," An Grams retorted. "Remember who is Supreme Commander, Zara. A priest knows nothing of-

-Silence. Iadd-khuf." There was a pause, then suddenly Zara's image improved drastically, highlighting his command mask. "Do as you please, but I expect results." The image faded.

"You wish to cripple the enemy before they can reverse-engineer our technology, so we shall destroy their capacity to build," An Grams said, returning his attention McArver. "Our next battle strategy is to begin a new campaign on the Forge Zone Solon Colony Cluster construction yards."

* * *

**Sargo Zone**

"Why do I get stuck with him again?" Nike Kingsland grumbled, one of the monoliths strapped to his back, almost weightless in the zero g.

"Am I that disagreeable to work with?" Grodek Ainoa asked, frowning.

"No, him"—Nike pointed at Mozart Killisk, who floated along beside the two, his black and olive green normal suit almost matching colors with his long hair. "I don't see him doing any of the heavy lifting."

"Your mindless, brutish mind and body are more suited to such a mundane procedure," Mozart said derisively. He sniffed as Nike stuttered in growing fury. "Certainly, I am not suited to such work."

"When I-

-Please don't attempt something rash, both of you," Grodek cried, loud enough for both of the two pirates to look over at him quizzically. Grodek eyed both in turn until they were forced to look away. "Last time you both started coming to blows, old fragmentation mines went off and I lost a kidney."

"Yeah well, there's more than one of those.." Nike said, scratching his long black hair awkwardly.

"Indubitably, your pretence for such fears is certainly justified, which is why I am using a scanner to pan for mines," Mozart held up a small datapad, "see, Kingsland, I am helping. Without me to guide your mulish footsteps, you might happen upon a trap and blow the monolith to shreds."

"Can't you talk normal while insulting someone?!" Nike raged. "I'll know a mine, grenade, automatic turret, or invisibly cloaked mechanized monster long before your PDA would ever get a whiff it was even there?"

"What was there?" Mozart asked, tilting his head.

"The examples, dammit!"

"Don't use so many then, I lost track after 'mine'."

"That's because you weren't listening!"

Grodek threw up his hands, gasping in warning. Both stopped themselves with a hiss of from their suit's verniers. The two Bisidian looked down to find a portion of the floor that looked slightly uneaven. Acid slugs had been all over the place, a common sign an explosive had been planted there at some point. The Sargo was a space pirate's beach, and Angrazzo swore there were motherloads of treasure hidden out here. As far as Grodek was concerned, it was _not _worth the effort. He hugged the side of his suit painfully, the wound hurt after he set eyes on a possible trap.

Mozart turned to regard Nike with an uncomfortably long, wide-eyed stare.

"What?" Nike demanded, crossing his arms.

Mozart raised an accusing finger, rubbing it with his other forefinger. "Shame shame; look what your complaints did, they almost caused dear Grodek to endure another organ-piercing blast of shrapnel. Apologize."

"Listen to me both of you," Grodek said with an exasperated sigh. If these two were by chance Luli Jasmine's spy, then they were doing an awfully good job of getting him 'accidentally' killed. "If I am wounded again because my team was not paying attention and lose an organ because of it," his voice dropped to a dead tone, "You will both lose your respective organ, too. I might even settle for a replacement if your genetic types match mine. Understand?"

Nike nodded wordlessly, while Mozart only smiled knowingly.

"I have two livers, so it does me no harm to lose one," he explained simply.

"Then I will have twice the joy of taking them, should I lose mine," Grodek said with a smile.

Careful to make sure the mine was inoperable, if that was what it was, the three pirates moved around the depressed panel and moved deeper. The place they had chosen to hide the monoliths was a rather large ,tangled space station composed of hundreds of colony cylinders about fifty meters in length each, some spinning others now rusted over from water leakage. Plant life was everywhere, and the number of mines and other traps hidden about were immense. According to Angrazzo, this was an operating base for Zulu pirates, a rival group, and thus it would be quite nice to have SID trash it to pieces.

Grodek hoped he survived to see it happen.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Milias Alloy placidly in one of the training sims, feeling a strange tingling running through her mind. Was something about to happen? Problem was with her powers, they never told her where the danger was coming from or when, only that it was impending, like an animal's instinct to run from danger in the wild. Worse, it caused her a great deal of trouble to think clearly when this happened, the same issues she had when on the _Diva's _bridge.

So here she sat, floating in a training sim, wondering what she was going to do with herself until she found out where the danger was and could confront it properly inside the Gundam.

"Excuse me, but you have a visitor, Lieutenant," the uppity Lily said, the white HARO unit floated outside the simulator, "and you have yet to choose a training program, shall I randomize?"

"No thanks, Lilly. Who's the visitor?"

"Commander Enneacle. He is inside a simulator now, and asking permission to challenge you to a match. I refused at first. Shall I permit him?"

Milias felt her tension wash away a little and tightened her gloves, "by all means, activate the Starks data and set the battle for the Lunar surface, post Apocalypse."

"Roger," Lilly said, the white drone speeding off. A moment later the chamber darkened, and targeting screens and reticles came to life, glowing a faint yellow and looking comfortably similar to the auxiliary screens aboard the Starks Gundam.

"Yo, X Woman, I saw you moping in here and decided to cheer you up a little," Woolf appeared on a chat screen smiling wolfishly. "Happy yet?"

"Not until I wipe the floor with you," Milias countered. "And for the record, this isn't how you're supposed to cheer up a lady."

Woolf's face grew devious as he took hold of his sim's controls. "Fine. Why don't you show me how to go about that after this?"

"Just try it," she taunted. The red light above her head turned green.

"Ready, beginning simulation with limited Lunar gravity," Lilly said. "Begin mobile suit training simulation run no.1134."

Milias licked her lips and charged forward, raising her beam bazooka as the white G-Exes sped up on the screen, DODS rifle leveled.

* * *

Captain Adams Tinel sat in his brightly lit office, one of the renovations he was making to place it in contrast with Grodek's darkened lair from which his genius sprung forth daring plans. Adams finally realized after all this time that the darkened, subdued atmosphere didn't stimulate his imagination. It was time to let go, and he had other plans for the decorum in store, though it looked as though he did not have long to make changes.

Admiral Wiliam Kindle was on the other end of the screen, with a window of information nearby, which Adams was reading over carefully.

"The enemy shield is primarily composed of some kind of semi-liquid crystal," Kindle was saying, "it requires some form of carbon to be manufactured into the crystal, we see here that it is mined from this installation," as Admiral Kindle spoke, a visual of a roughly pyramidal structure, grey metal sidings, with a glowing red light at the peak. "This was taken by a surveillance picture when portions of the shield went inactive last week. It is placed on the surface of the hardened lake, presumably to mine. It is very close, almost beside the large hole Fardain made in the lake with the barriers."

"Did we receive a reason for why the shield went down?" Adams asked, "There were no ships moving about the gap."

"Getting to _that_," Kindle said, his words elongated with annoyance, "our analysts, led by Admiral Sireneen's assistant, Ensign Loum, who is an expert in metastables allo-whatevers, have concluded that the particular carbon molecules needed to construct the shield."

"That I could believe, these unique crystals must not be composed like natural ones, they would need different types of minerals to create."

"That goes without saying, Captain," Kindle said gruffly. "What I care about is that if we destroy this facility, we shall be able to pummel the shield into submission over time, or watch it fall," Kindle said with a grin.

"Are we going to blast through the crater wall?" Adams asked. "We could bypass pummeling on the shield."

"We have reason to believe we can infiltrate via the underground tunnel. Now that most of the molten rock has cooled, there is an underground complex of tunnels again used for mining logistics. We have found access tunnels beneath all the mining facilities, but they were rigged to cave-in once the bases blew, we had to capture one. Now that we have, troops are ready to enter the tunnels and work their way forward."

"This sounds very risky," Adams commented distastefully.

Kindle had a look of disgust of his own, though it was directed at Adams' seeming lack of nerve. "Get some backbone, we stood against their unbreakable lines for a year, we'll do it now that we have a chance. I'm sending your forces to cover the assault on the shield itself, while our mobile suit teams will proceed to storm the underground. We are boring a tunnel for ourselves, and will use that to connect directly to the Vagan shaft, right behind enemy lines," Kindle smiled, obviously this had been his idea, one up on Sireneen for him, Adams supposed.

"The enemy won't have a clue what hit them, and we can keep them distracted with that while we blow the wall. Either way, one part of the Vagan lines will slip, and we will spill through the opening."

"Over the sacrifices of our fellow troops," Adams couldn't resist saying. He liked Agnes Sireneen more. She was calculating, and more reserved, making bold moves only when she felt the enemy was properly off-balanced or when her plans were set; cautious, but opportunistic.

"I never thought I'd here such cowardly words from the man who went against the Federation for what he believed—and took on Ambat with little hope of victory, with the whole world against you," Kindle said loudly, his old grey eyes boring into Adams like they had the drill sergeant at the training camp thirty two years ago as a nineteen year old recruit. "If we cross over the backs of our fallen men, then we had better fight harder for it, because they did their duty and fell with honor! That's something the fallen are supposed to teach, Captain."

_Grodek is the one who did that, I was just the helmsman. _"I apologize, and await further orders," Adams said with a salute.

Kindle nodded suspiciously. "At ease, Tinel, I know you're a good friend with your Gundam pilot. I'll put Lieutenant Milias into the bypass tunnel regiment. She's an X-Rounder and too important to lose at any rate."

"One more thing, Sir," Adams said, speaking up before his superior could cut the line. "If we do destroy the shield, what then? Fardain has proven quite impervious."

"We didn't use our full stock of weapons," Kindle said with a boyish grin. "Prime Minister Fondor authorized the use of Rostroulan's nuclear weapons cache. They are being transferred to join the missiles stores in Big Ring. I am confident that even Fardain can withstand only so much." Kindle saluted smartly and cut the transmission.

Adams did not like Kindle, however. In contrast to Sireneen, Kindle was a hard-hitting man who believed in straight forward brawls on the basis of such flimsy principles as honor (masculine pride) to justify the gigantic death toll of his forces. He had this complex that the reason they died was more important than their lives, and threw them out there to overwhelm the enemy in numbers. As far as Adams had observed of history's great strategists, one of whom he served under, was that the key to gaining victory was to value the forces beneath your command. The truly great tacticians tried to win while minimizing their own casualties, to deceive and to trick was the way to victory, not "honorable" battle. He wondered if Sireneen had ever tried to get Kindle reading Sun Tzu's writings.

And there were the nuclear weapons to be concerned about. And his own mobile suit forces were in danger now because of Kindle's disregard for danger. He doubted Sireneen would let the other Admiral run free charging forward recklessly, though Adams suspected Fondor wanted results and was willing to override even her authority. Despairing, Adams once again reached for the intercom, horrified at what he was about to do.

"My waistline is doomed." He bemoaned, putting a hand to his forehead. He pressed the switch, "Kotetsu."

* * *

**Mars Sphere, **_**Fa Raza **_**class battleship, **_**Emzanne**_

On the bridge of the _Emzanne, _Nixean McArver turned to face Medel Zant and Martha Reed, his thin lips tighter than usual as he frowned at them. "I expect you both to perform your best. We don't have much time to destroy these pests. It was foolish to observe what they might be doing here, save as an interesting game. Obviously they either plan to make a nuclear attack or infiltrate and assassinate the Zoroaster or His Supremacy, Ezelcant. We are ordered then to destroy them immediately, especially should they make contact with these SCS forces we are harboring. If they made an alliance, we would be put at an extreme disadvantage. Clear?"

"Yes, Commander," Martha said, straightening her back and placing one fist over her chest, "We will destroy the targets completely."

"Good. Zant, you have faced the Gundam before, I will rely on you to destroy it."

"Of course Commander," Zant said with a bright smile. "I've been waiting for this, you see."

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Big Ring**

Mer-Mes Zuberi floated through the halls in the forest green robes of the South American Magistratracy. He had his usually proud head bent in thought. _How excellent that Fondor is giving me this chance to bring the nuclear warheads into space. He still trusts me, still believes in our goal of increasing the planet's quality of life! We can move forward with Cleansing now that the weapons are in space. _

He smiled and awkwardly saluted to a passing officer, who looked back quizzically. He would need to get used to this, saluting, although he was pleasantly aware that he didn't have to as the commanding officer of Big Ring, unless as a sign of courtesy to his underlings err, "subordinates". _I should probably contact Jasmine, she always has reliable information. That way I can better decide my course of action. _

He swept down the hall, mind hatching another scheme. The devastated rainforests could be regrown, the people of South America could immigrate to forested colonies where they could live in more comfort for hundreds of years before overpopulation became an issue. Who knew, his long-term plans of colonizing other planets might be plausible once the Vagan were reduced to ash. A new era of mankind was about to start, and Mer-Mes was determined to be the man who opened the door.

* * *

**Federation Combined Fleet flagship, **_**Mirage **_

Ensign Rasui Loum, personal assistant to Admiral Agnes Sireneen, marched through the halls, with an order from An Grams himself. She knew what this order meant. Nevertheless, it drew out her feelings for Sireneen, feelings that had always been genuine. Sireneen was the type of woman who needed to be in the government, strong, kind, and capable with a sturdy backbone. Because the stupid rules that determined the admiralty relied solely upon seniority, few got to the top except the hard-headed old men who's conscience for human life on the other side vanished long ago.

Rasui was happy to accept how the world worked though. Even if the world was overpopulated, and most of the colonies a crowded, crime ridden society, there was still potential. You could rise or fall, to great depths, but if you had the willpower and nerve to strive for a better life, the rewards could be all modern technology could offer. Then she heard Grodek Ainoa's voice on every speaker phone as his virus latched onto the ships' controls and broadcasted the appalling truth. What she wouldn't have given to be with him. How many felt the same way? Admiral Sireneen for one, but had not done so because she was busy following protocol and the orders of men like Banks Stonewell and Wooten Seers, both in the center of the bloody truth surrounding Operation Cleansing and the yellow shirted Special Forces. Rasui steeled her resolve and slipped into Sireneen's quarters, bearing the poisoned cup of water that would quench her thirst, forever.

Sireneen still had not seen the evil of the Federation. They said the old Federation government had been bad, but Rasui believed it was no different. Why had that noble woman remained loyal to such a monstrosity that tried to murder billions of colonists at both the Earth and Mars. It was sad, and at this point, Rasui felt it was her moral duty to bring this war to an end before the Federation's rulars tried something worse.

She sat the glass down, breathing heavily. How could she do this? She watched Admiral Sireneen take the glass and drink. Somehow, the old woman knew, knew that something was just wrong. She stopped drinking, and sat it down. "Is something wrong, Ensign? Speak."

It was enough, though. Rasui knew the poison would kill without a trace, broken down in just a few moments by the body's metabolism into basic chemicals. But before that, Sireneen would die. The old woman's eyes bulged, she grabbed her throat collapsed, her chest pressed against her desk, unable to rise. Mustering all the willpower that had kept her from killing William Kindle all these years, the old admiral reached for the gun underneath her desk, for such a time as this.

Rasui knew it was there, but couldn't run, couldn't leave. The least she could do was stay by to the end.

"Wh-why w-did you? _Rasui_?" She asked, her voice shuddering violently as her heart prepared to beat for the final four times.

"Admiral, forgive me, I didn't want this," Rasui said, shaking her head, trying to keep the tears from her eyes as she stepped forward planetivly, hand reaching out for Sireneen's. "Why couldn't you have seen that we're on the wrong side? All they want is to come home."

"I c-I will not. Give. Them," in a burst of sudden rage, Sireneen grabbed Rasui in a grip so hard it cracked her wristbone. Rasui screamed, trying to pull back. Trapped in the death-grip, Rasui stared into wide-eyed in fear as Agnes Sireneen pulled up her arm and fired in one swift motion. The bullet pierced Rasui's chest, and she fell back, dark blood pouring from the wound, a cloud of red spheres.

Hours later, crew hands would enter to find Rasui floating by the desk, broken hand still clasped in the death grip of Agnes Sireneen, who lay staring at their intertwined fingers with moistened, lifeless eyes.

* * *

**T****he Moon, Federation bypass shaft**

Beneath the cover of a false partition designed to resemble a piece of the cliff side, a growing platoon of mobile suits stood by as the drilling unit far ahead slowly, carefully bored through the remaining feet between the Vagan supply tunnel and the Federation's bypass shaft. No one was sure exactly when the Admirals would issue the command to start the operation, or if the Vagans might discover their location. Not many wanted to contemplate what would happen then.

"We never have time together," Woolf Enneacle said with a sad shake of his head, his machine standing next to Ewen's Shaldoll and Milias' Gundam. "What are these strategists? Relationship breakers?"

"I was unaware you two were so..engaged," Ewen Winter coughed. The pilot glanced over at the G-Exes and Titus Gundam, the latter painted in Milias' custom white. When Woolf had pitched a tantrum over the change in color scheme, Milias had deftly reminded him—with her hand as well as words—that their squad was the White Team after all. Thus, the mobile suits should be colored similarly.

"We are not in a 'relationship', Ewen," she said with a frown.

"I apologize," Ewen said, remembering that he was not so clear about his status with Nova, either. "But do you have to tease each other so ceaselessly? The other pilots might be listening to our channel."

"Not in a relationship huh?" Woolf grinned across the screen, leaning closer, "That's not what she said in the simulator," Woolf smiled knowingly and pressed his hands to his chest, "She expressed her true feelings for me."

Ewen glanced at Milias across the screen. "Is that why Lilly was throwing a fit over-

-"It was not," Milias said abruptly, staring down imperiously at Woolf from across the screen, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do," Woolf countered, The G-Exes taunting with its right manipulator. "Come on over here and we'll give Ewen a demonstration."

Milias stuck her nose in the air, "You are nothing but a scruffy, smelly—sheepherder!" She clicked off his chat screen.

Ewen smartly clicked off his own screen.

Inside the G-Exes, Woolf glanced at his chin in the mirror, where stubble from several days was beginning to form the traces of a beard. "Who's scruffy lookin?" He sighed. "the beard's gotta go I guess…" it was a disappointment, he always wanted to grow a beard.

* * *

**Tycho Crater base, Adamantine **

An Grams placed his fingertips together into a cathedral, his elbows resting on the table as the battle holomap materialized before him, spreading out from the center like light spraying across the floor at the opening of a shade or blind.

There had been no contact from Rasui, however a report was just issued to all Federation fleets that Admiral Sireneen was dead, murdered by Ensign Loum. How unfortunate, that his spy should die in the assassination attempt. Nevertheless, all was well. Kindle was a predicable glory hound, and he would be able to maneuver around him.

Kindle would never suspect that his grand plan was no more than the hook with which An Grams would draw him into a trap. He didn't want this, it was risky and the wisest course of action in his mind was to wait until the new models were finished being constructed. But his commanding staff and Zara were adamant as his shield, and he could do little else but appease their demands with action, even if it meant sacrifices that weren't needed.

Zul Dahala, with Nixean McArver in command, would return with the help of the recently completed Hermes' Ring, changing the usual three to six month journey to or Earth a quick, forty minute jump, thanks to the solar/laser sail could accelerate things to a theoretically unlimited degree, given enough power or light to catch. An Grams wished the Gate project was finished, but until then they would have to rely on this primitive form of the Ares tunnel.

When the space fortress arrived, he could wipe away the entirety of the enemy fleet in one go, while tearing apart the Forge Zone construction yards. He smiled at the thought of Medel Zant's plans. He would be trying some of those maneuvers too.

But now, for the unbearable waiting to see if all this didn't somehow go awry. The cat claws of fate had a way of tearing apart the strands man's schemes.

* * *

**Mars Sphere, Second Moon**

Yark Dole Briar frowned at Zoroaster Zara from across the holoscreen. "Are you _sure_? Arabel _Zoi_? And a whole rebel force are attempting to strike at the generator?"

"Indeed," Zara said, he seemed flustered, as if he had been strained beyond his physical limit.

"You're sweating like you ran a marathon, Zara. What were you doing?" Yark inquired, growing somewhat concerned. Zara's presence had spiked a few hours earlier, as if he were projecting himself from a magnifying glass, or somesuch. A strange feeling had washed over Yark and Yurin L'Ciel then. What was going on?

"Not important now," Zara seemed to recover a small bit of his stamina, "You are the only X-Rounder I can communicate telepathically with, Yark. Please take a regiment and follow my instructions. They have mobile suits, so take your own MS teams with you. We cannot allow this to continue."

"I hear and obey," Yark said, before the transmission died abruptly and the screen vanished with a metallic pang.

"_No wonder they're rebelling", _Iwark Briar's voice said dubiously, _"They're starving to death. Yet look at you, sitting here properly fed and all." It's not like that and you know it, Iwark. All we have is Mineral Mix, and it gets distasteful after a while. _He swept his robed arm as if to knock the apparition away, the vision of his brother standing before him fading away like a statue of sand. "Disappear."

* * *

With a painful blast of g's, Flit Asuno swept the Starks Gundam around, dodging a blast of beam fire issuing from the _Fa Raza _as it dashed past, pursuing the now indistinct shapes of the _Darwin Stealths _and _Silhouette._

A rushing wave of beam fire, pounded him from above, and only a quick flip of the Gundam saved him thanks to the durable shoulder binders. Another blast of beams raced up at him from below, while the Gafran above shot down, spinning, its beam sabers and tail sword ignited.

"Come on, scared?" Medel Zant's voice called from the Gafran as it swooped past. Flit blasted away—an alarm shrieked and the halo pulsed as the green Gafran swooped up at him, slashing with its tail sword. Flit boosted away, right into Zant's line of fire.

"I can't waste time here," he growled over at the enemy machine, slashing with his spear, beam energy glowing at the tip. Zant backpedaled, firing a blast from his Gafran's torso cannon. Flit spun, the shield binders blocking the powerful blast. Flit stabbed quickly with the Reiber to send Martha's green Gafran leaping away, firing its beam machineguns. Flit rocketed up after it, glancing to Zant's machine as it spiraled up at him, beam saber light reflecting off its polished armor, visor line glowing. Flit angled the spearhead down at the approaching Gafran and fired the Reiber hammer, a trio of beam spikes igniting along its sides, while rocket thrusters propelled it with blinding speed. Flit whipped around behind Martha as she soared in using the Starks' exhaust to block her view of the flail, which slammed into Zant and hurled his machine back. Chain waving, Flit surged back at Martha, who spun around at him and slashed with her tail saber. Flit took the strike on his left shell and flipped down his bazooka, unleashing a blast not at her but at Zant, who was forced to dart back to avoid being atomized.

Then the hammer came flying back, slamming into the back of Martha's machine and wrapping around her Gafran's tail, piercing its armor. With a tug, flit sliced right through the limb, the hammer reconnecting to the spear's shaft.

Cursing, Martha transformed her machine to dragon form and swooped down toward Zant, both machines staring up at him with glowing visor lines.

"You're pretty tough, Asuno." Zant admitted. "Martha, let's go." In a blast of violet light, both Gafrans shot toward him, rushing up to fire their torso cannons without stopping. Flit barely dodged both blasts, then the machines were on him, taking turns slashing and charging up their torso cannons or Zant's tail cannon. Flit spiraled away from their blasts, took his spear and swung at the enemy, launching the hammer at the green machine. Zant's Gafran leapt in front of the other and knocked the Reiber away with its wing, firing its tail and torso cannon. Flit angled away, and turned to see his own ships nowhere in sight.

"This battle's been fun, but I have work to do," Flit said into the comm., with a rush of exhaust the Starks dashed back, pumping a wave of missiles from both binders to make sure the two Gafrans did not follow directly.

He sped along, cutting power to make sure the exhaust trail didn't give him away. Up ahead, the massive form of Second Moon slowly appeared from behind Mars like a hungry predator. Flit narrowed his eyes at the monstrous colony. He looked to the right as his scanners beeped, throwing up a visual of another structure, a black and glowing red space fortress hovering amidst a field of debris. There was something like a ring nearby, just large enough for the station to fit through, as well as a laser-like apparatus hovering nearby.

He returned his attention to the eye-shaped colony approaching him. A warning alarm began, and flashed up a comparison model just beside the real life image.

"It's a third of the Moon's total mass," he thought dourly, his eyes now unable to peel themselves away from the moon. He looked at a flash of light in the distance between him and what he assumed was his destination. "That must be the _Silhouette,_" he said, angling toward the lights.

* * *

Are you sure we should let him go like that?" Martha asked as her machine floated idly next to Zant's Gafran.

"Not much choice, considering we couldn't keep up unless we calibrated the Gafrans to high speed maneuvers."

"Which they aren't," Martha grumbled.

They both stopped to stare at the face of their homeworld, the atmosphere seemed so normal right now, but a flash of lightning showed all was not quite well on the surface. They could even see several coppery objects crashed against the ground, the fallen colonies or their remains.

Zant gripped the controls to his machine. "Martha, we should-

-Zul Dahala is nearby," Martha said, "we can resupply there." Her voice grew grave, "Who knows, there might be refugees."

* * *

**Second Moon**

Arabel Zoi leapt behind a pillar of rock, letting emerald beams chip away at it in clouds of vaporized stone. The ground rocked, followed by a bone-rattling crash. Ears ringing, Arabel ran as the pillar fell along with the ceiling, a purple Gafran fell head-first through the crack, grappling with a blue counterpart, sparks flying down as their claws met metal armor.

A beam sailed overhead, Arabel screamed in pain as he felt the flesh on the back of his neck seared in pain, and the hair on the back of his scalp singed. Still running, he ran behind a junior mobile suit, which unleashed barrage of concussion grenades. Arabel cupped his ears against the sound, looking up in time to see a series of beam rifle bolts blast the pilot to dust. The mobile suit stopped and went still.

A powerful force slammed Arabel to the ground, good, because the petit mobile suit slammed down on top of him, his small frame spared by a hair's breadth from the machine.

He watched as the two Gafrans struggled furiously. Then, from the other end of the hanger, a missile sped out from an enemy turret and blew apart the visor line of the purple Gafran. Arabel bit his lip, that was their mobile suit. The enemy Gafran raised its clawed hand triumphantly—and plunged it into the rebel machine's face. Sparks flew into the air as the Gafran retrieved its hand, blood dripping from its clawed hand.

Trembling, his ears ringing Arabel found himself crying as he watched the blue Gafran turn around and blast the rebel forces away in a single volley from its beam machinegun. He screamed in rage and helplessness. They had failed to take the gateway leading to Second Moon's core, that had been the first thing to go wrong. Now they had lost their remaining Gafran in the party in a failed attempt to force through an auxiliary hatch that made a circuitous route back to the core. It was hopeless, no one could stop this. He couldn't report back to Cinnamon, she might decide the game was up and kill him now that this had gone wrong.

Ignoring the sharp stones tearing into his clothes and skin with their edges, Arabel crawled from beneath the junior mobile suit, his face scraped, his whole torso bleeding. He grimaced in pain as he tried to clean one of the injuries. Only when he looked back did he see that some of the "stones" were actually broken metal shards from the mobile suit's cockpit shield.

The ground began shaking again as the Gafran stomped forward, palm raised and beam emitter glowing as it prepared to wipe the fleeing rebel survivors off the face of the universe. Arabel shook and tried to run, but could only managed a shaky walk into a darkened crack in the wall. He slipped through, following the narrow passage, ignoring the noise of the machinegun going off and the brief flashes of light that accompanied it.

As he plodded, he heard scuffling noises. He took little to no solace in the fact that if it were live gafrans, he would be dead before he knew what struck. However, it was far worse, depending on your perspective.

He reached a point where the ground steepened and forced him to climb upward. The moment he started, hands reached out and grabbed him from behind. This was not the same as when Cinnamon and her followers had saved him at Arndion colony. Here, the only ones who groped in the dark, groped for food.

* * *

**Fire Temple**

Yark Dole Briar felt Yurin L'Ciel before she rounded the corner.

_Wait! _Her voice echoed into his mind. She appeared, dressed in the garb of a priestess, although the earrings were missing and the robes were somewhat older than the pair she usually wore. "I'm coming with you," she said resolutely.

"This is _not _the same as the Martian surface," Yark Dole Briar snapped, trying to sound concerned rather than harsh. "In your condition, you shouldn't be anywhere near the underlevels. There are things there that you cannot survive-disease-

-I'm already sick, disease holds no fear for me. I have to see if I can help."

"There is nothing you can do, Yurin, not this time. Unless you want to feed yourself to cannibals!"

"If we gave them our food then we could stop this!" Yurin shouted, growing angry. "I'm tired of sitting around here doing nothing!"

"Then go and pray. Or better yet, go to your room and rest. I am trying to put down a rebel group. If they succeeded in destroying or altering the gravity control, the consequences could be a disaster."

Yurin fumed at him as he departed, pulling his cowl over his masked face.

"_She really is a stubborn one. Just like you." _Yark ignored the voice and kept walking.

* * *

The Starks drifted forward, the dummy asteroid around it blocking light from entering, save through a small crack. The tracking signal indicated where he was bound, and for some time all there was to do was sit and wait. Finally, the signal came and he tore his way out of the dummy, which burst into a spray of dust as if the asteroid had suddenly vaporized a countermeasure to make the dummy seem realistic. With a flash, the Starks dashed down into an open access hatch between the gigantic muscle tissue-like sections of Second Moon's central sphere. He entered carefully, then noticed Ivon Alfenoa's Sylph Gundam resting idly nearby. Flit placed the Starks next to it and started in surprise as a mass of red birdlime erupted from the exit, sealing it tight and making it seem as if the hatch did not exist.

"Flit, please hurry," Emily Amonde's voice said from the comm.

After complying, Flit drifted down to find her floating near an open doorway, wearing a combat suit.

"What are you doing?" Demanded Flit, grabbing her shoulder. "You're actually coming with us!? I won't allow it. You know what I said aboard the _Silhouette._"

"I know, but I'm here so there's nothing you can do about it," she said, smiling in her victory. "The _Silhouette _is already drifting out of range."

"Emily, we don't know what might be in there," Flit warned. "There could be any number of terrible things waiting for us, like heat rods!"

"Coming along on this journey has put me in mortal danger," she reasoned, "going inside here won't change much, especially if the ships are attacked. Then what would I do, hm?"

Sighing in defeat, Flit pushed past her. "Come on then, but you better stay close."

"Before you go, the team leader wanted to tell you 'high, and watch out for the radiation levels', they're pretty nasty you know."

Flit considered the scanner to his pilot's suit and noticed the abnormal level of radiation was close to the dangerous zone. "The terraformer?" He asked Emily.

She shrugged. "I wouldn't know a thing about terraformers. The field engineer said there might be nanobots or something around here, judging by the samples he took. I wouldn't know about that kind of stuff, although Nova was talking about it as if she understood."

"No time to talk," Flit said, motioning her to follow him through the door. "If something happens to you, I swear I'll kill you."

"Right," Emily said, nodding slowly.

"Fine. I'll leave your body for the mutant lizards."

"Mutant what?"

"These Vagan might as well be alien. They dwell on a radioactive moon that looks like a giant eye, and pilot monstrous saurian mobile suits. Don't try to reason with me that I shouldn't expect some demented lifeforms crawling around."

"Well, now that you mention it—hold on, this is absurd."

"Fine," Flit said. "Go ahead and get eaten."

"You get eaten!" She snapped back, pushing past him.

Flit scowled after her and followed, unclipping his gun from its holster as they crossed into a series of grey corridors lit only by a series of vein-like lights running along the walls and floor, separating the groundwork into a mosaic-

-A silver armored mechanoid crashed down from above, beam machinegun glowing.

* * *

"Who does he think he is?" Yurin L'Ciel demanded, stalking down the hall. The priestess next to her tried to keep up with Yurin's swift gait. "After all this time does he expect me to stay here cooped up to become a nun?!"

"We are _not _nuns, Yurin," the priestess said quickly. "Well, that depends on your interpretation of our beliefs."

"What beliefs?"

"You understand that we do not have a strict doctrine, save that metaphorical canon used in speeches. We accept that everyone should draw their own conclusions and meditate on spiritual purity of heart and mind. If they do not wish to accept that there is a greater power at work in the world, that is fine. So long as they wish to believe so, that is fine."

"In other words, you're a bunch of pluralists who don't believe in anything at all."

"True, but it keeps the people preoccupied."

Yurin wanted to yank out her own violet hair and scream.

"Yurin, I know this is nagging to you but you _do _look pale. Please lie down, or rest, or pray."

"I'd rather pray while I work. God would rather have me do something worth while rather than sit around babbling to the walls or those fire pillars."

"The pillars are just décor, we _do not _pray to them."

"Maybe you should." Yurin muttered. "They'd be more useful than what you have now. And whatever gods you serve, they must not be worth anything at all if they don't want you to leave your halls. There is so much I can do."

"Like what? We can't feed them all, Yurin. We're barely surviving as it is."

"We can bring them here then, all of them."

"ALL of Them!" The flustered priestess shrieked. "Insanity!"

"The children," Yurin said, half to herself. "If I can just get them in here, where it's safe from the outside, that will be enough for me."

"Where are you going?" Demanded the priestess as Yurin rounded a corner instead of taking a right to her quarters.

"To gather some bread, what we have left, and that pocket pistol Priest Briar gave me. I have somewhere I need to go."

* * *

Flit and Emily dashed down a corridor, surprised that gravity had reared its ugly head at the worst possible moment. The mechanized gafran rushed around the corner, firing its beam machinegun, its servos making a constant _wvavu-wvavu _as it charged after them around the corner, visor line flashing to life wickedly. Then a hail of automatic weapons fire sent the Gafran scurrying backward, but not before it dropped a grenade from its back. Flit grabbed Emily and pressed them against the floor as the grenade blew. A shockwave slammed into them, hurling both like ragdolls into the air. Flit looked down to see Emily's helmet fly off and her hair whip out to cover her face. She hit the glowing paneled floor—darkness.

* * *

Arabel slowly opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by children, all either half his age or somewhere around that. He was unbound, but lying inside an old storage unit now apparently operating as the children's prison cell.

"Where am I?" He asked, sitting up and rubbing his head, where a crusty wound waited to surprise him with a jab of pain. He withdrew his fingers sharply and looked around apprehensively.

"You were in the dark. Dark places are good hunting grounds you know."

"If you go into places like that, you'll end up like this," another child said, a little girl with messy blue hair. She flung her arms up to gesture at the hold cell.

"Then you get eaten," one of the others said, a scrawny, skeletal boy of about eleven or so. "There's no way out," he looked at the door, which was locked.

"Have you tried?" Arabel asked, doing his best to resist vomiting. He willed the urge down and looked around as the children stepped forward.

"Oh, many have tried, but they never got away," the first boy said with a sad smile. "Food's arrived, so we have to eat," he said sadly, looking like he would honestly cry if given half a chance. "We're always hungry and there's never enough, ya' understand."

Arabel looked around for the, his stomach growling appreciatively at the idea of a good meal. "Where is it?"

The boy pointed at him.

* * *

Groggily, Flit sat up in total darkness, the ground around him warbled. A bottle of water appeared before his lips, and he drank gratefully. After a moment the ground grew solid and the fog lifted. Emily was hovering over him, not literally, was his first realization.

"Gravity?" He asked.

"Yup. You remember where we are?"

"On the Vagan home colony," Flit said, looking up at a black space above his head, any ceiling totally invisible. The combat suit did not give him a good impression of the floor, other than it was definitely uneven. If it was hard, he wouldn't know, considering the suit was actually designed to be a very comfortable cushion—to prevent impact injury from falls or shockwaves. His face was cold though, and that made him suspect what Ivon Alfenoa said a moment later as he materialized from the shadows.

"We are in a cave," he said, coming to loom over Flit like a doctor inspecting a new specimen.

"Do you have to make people feel so uncomfortable," demanded Flit, scowling as he rubbed his head.

"I get that so much I ignore the complaints. Really, I don't see why people find me so unnerving." Ivon spread his hands helplessly with a friendly smile.

"Maybe if you weren't so obtrusive," Nova Omusa said, walking up. She looked over Flit with a concerned gaze. "Can you stand?"

"I think," Flit said, getting to his feet with some help from Emily, who did it regardless of whether he wanted it or not.

"Good," Nova nodded and started back the way she had come.

"Where are we _exactly_, I know we are in a cave. And where are the others?" Flit asked, looking around for his helmet, which Ivon proffered lamely, letting it dangle from his finger while he looked over at Nova.

"Is something wrong?" Nova asked Ivon.

"You were obtrusive enough to ask Flit how he was doing."

Nova blinked in apparent confusion. "And? I was worried."

"Ah-ah," Ivon wagged a finger, "You are indeed a very intriguing woman, such open self-blindness to who you really are, Ms. Platoon Captain."

Nova's eyes flashed with anger, although her bronzed face remained cast in a neutral frown. With a swish of her raven hair, she spun away and disappeared into the darkness.

"They've been at this for a while now," Emily whispered in Flit's ear.

"Well it had better stop. And why won't you answer my questions?"

"We split up into three groups after Ivon and Kannas dragged us away from the mechanoids—two more appeared after we got knocked out by the grenade—I ended up with Nova and Ivon."

"You should know by now after being on the ship for so long that he enjoys antagonizing her," Flit growled, sweeping past her.

"I thought they were professionals, they don't have to bring their bickering to the battlefield," Emily stated, catching up to him.

"I guess you're right, although for the record: Nova is the professional, Ivon is a resource with family privileges." He softened his expression and leaned closer, "Thank you for the water."

"You're welcome," she said, somewhat pacified.

* * *

"Are we all here?" A voice asked through the darkness. To Flit as he and the other pilots stepped out of the tunnel and into a side cavern, it sounded vaguely familiar, only the slight echo prevented him from placing it.

His helmet light fell on a figure in combat armor, who was stooping over a glowing tablet. The woman stood, revealing Onette Cory's face on the inside of the visor.

Flit almost leapt back in surprise, only he was glad to see her and so had the impulse to jump forward instead. It was good to see someone from Nora again after ten months aboard the _Silhouette._ "Cory?"

"That's me," she replied. "I'm currently the captain of the special operations taskforce Amadis Largo assembled. I was aboard one of the _Stealths._"

"You're a black op?" Flit couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Emily, how hard did we hit our heads again?"

"Not hard," Cory said, approaching with a wry smile. "I'm also a medic, a proper one this time. You may have a minor concussion but other then that you're all good to go, which you kinda have to be, considering I don't have a hospital to admit you to."

Kannas Westmorland appeared a moment later from the darkness, having blended in so well, even more than Nova. "I've checked those tracks, and they lead to an abandoned nest made of animal bones. I didn't like the feeling I was getting there," he said, his voice sounding completely nervous. Flit at first didn't blame him, then realized the darkness held no real terror for him. True darkness was inside a blinded mobile suit, with Decil Galette inside a Gafran pummeling you from every direction. After honing his senses to a fine point, Flit doubted he would be quite as terrified as the others, so long as he succeeded in keeping his fear surges in check, another matter entirely.

"I'm growing a bit suspicious," Ivon said. "I promise the thing I saw was a giant bipedal lizard."

"This isn't Star Wars," Cory objected, "you can't expect me to seriously believe you saw a Barabel here."

"It looked like a giant lizard on two legs, it's no crocodile, unless they're evolving or the Vagans are all actually flesh eating carnivores in disguise." He looked over at Flit and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"There may be some truth to that," Flit started to say, but Emily gave him a withering look and he shut up quickly.

"Whatever it is, I say we don't wait for it," Cory said. "Our team is the smallest, meant to move quickly without detection. For Flit's sake, I'll explain our objective. We are to proceed to the core of the colony, where we have reason to believe—thanks to our hacker, the enemy has its gravity generator located there. If we destroy it, we have a chance of putting the enemy off-balance enough to reach the Overlord's Palace"-

-Emily whispered into Flit's ear, "we saw it when we descended from the colony wall. It's _massive."_

_-"_and possibly confront Ezelcant face-to-face."

"Then let's go," Kannas said hurriedly. "I really would rather not meet a flesh eating lizard in this place either."

That was when the combat sensors installed inside their suits' helmets went off—the hands moved to fast, groping fiercely.

Flit whipped out his combat knife and stabbed it into something meaty with a wet crunch, followed by the shriek of a child. That put him off-guard long enough for something heavy to smack him in the back. He fell, swarms of tiny bodies all around him, hitting, kicking. The pale green glow of the lights on everyone's helmets added to the surreal confusion. Then suddenly bellow rang through the cavern, and Cory, who was still upright, fighting off a swarm of children, trained her light toward the entrance leading back to the tunnel.

A massive, wide head with long snout and hundreds of teeth glittered in the light, the hulking, black silhouette of a two-legged reptile stalked forward, wicked claws extending as it opened its jaws wide and roared.

* * *

**Overlord's Palace**

Zara sat linked inside the Brainwave Panner, straining with all his might to seek out the infiltrators as well as the mass of disorganized rebels. They would have caught him _Totally _unawares had he not been using this wondrous device regularly. Yark Dole Briar and Yurin L'Ciel had felt him brush their minds though, thanks to his magnified presence, a consequence he had not encountered because they had previously been on Mars. He felt them then, moving directly for the Fire Temple. Let them go, he would dispatch a squad of mechanoids to crush them.

He focused on one mind in particular and scanned it. Flit Asuno. Well, well. The man who built the Gundam and helped lead the mobile suit forces at Ambat. Zara smirked. Yark Dole Briar had words to say about him, and so he would let him say them to Flit Asuno personally.

_Yark, can you hear me?_

_Yes, Zoroaster._

_Good, I have found a small group of the infiltration team McArver was blathering about incessantly. They escaped his befuddled mind, but not ours. They are on Level NE 407, moving steadily toward your location. Deal with Cinnamon and this group at once if you wish. One of the members is Flit Asuno, you might wish to know._

_Flit Asuno!_

_I suspected you might wish something like that. You are a-Oh, sorry, private thought there. Now, please hurry, the enemy is in a state of distress. A tribe of cannibalistic children are dragging them to the old impounding grounds._

_The impounding grounds, but that's where Decil—I apologize, private thought. I hear and obey, Zoroaster._

Zara severed the link and lay back in the seat, exhausted, his eyes twitching madly even though they were closed shut with his thumbs massaging the bone around his sockets. He couldn't keep this up, not for much longer. Issishar's game was clear to him now. He understood now that he could never live another day with proper rest or relaxation when he could not access this thought panner to inquire of his subjects. The stress of not knowing when or if the dagger would strike at him was just too debilitating now. But he was not an Extrasensor. The genetic alterations to her and her father's bodies was totally different from an X-Rounder, who could only survive so much of their organ's power before the brain cells started going haywire for want of a proper break.

To a powerful Extrasensor like Issishar, this was no more taxing then weight lifting, somewhat tiring, but healthy. For a man like Zara, every time he used it, sapped a little at his brain function and overall physical health. That was the problem with X powers, they were based on physical pulses in the brain, and he could not handle such strain for too much longer. Dare he do it? Dare he even think of waking her up? He remembered the look in her eyes the day they talked in that darkened hall of the Fire Temple. She had known, this was her plot, and Zara realized he had blundered straight into its snare.

* * *

The ping of bullets rang through the black halls as Cory's group fled deeper into the tunnels. No one really understood what _children _were doing in the caverns, or why they were attacking them. The entrance of reptilian beast had driven all thought of subduing the children from Cory's mind, and so she ordered her team to retreat. Flit wanted to catch one of the children for interrogation, but never got the chance as the little ones scattered when the real shooting began.

It was heavily armored, the monster, ignoring a whole combined barrage of bullets as it charged with unbelievable speed. It never got a chance to snap or slash, but it did knock Kannas into the wall with its tail as he tried to fire at its head from the rear. Despite the impact absorbing armor, he had been rendered unconscious. Judging from his groans as he woke up, there were broken ribs as well.

With a final burst of rounds, the monstrous lizard raised its open jaws to the ceiling and fell over, slamming against the ground with a crash, where it lay still, a pool of dark blood rapidly rising.

"That thing, there had better not be more where it came from," Cory said as she halted the group at a fork in the tunnel. "We have two choices, let's make our choice and find a place where I can inspect Kannas.

"I'll be fine," the pilot said weakly. "Only one rib—I think. Broke a few a long time ago, this doesn't ache as bad."

"If you can run then take a pain reliever, I want to get moving in case the enemy is nearby. The echoes could have reached for miles."

Flit and Emily continued to stare at the fallen saurian. He looked over at her with narrowed eyes. "Told you."

Emiy groaned and threw up her hands in rage, "You couldn't have known we would run into something like that!"

Ivon stepped toward the right-hand passage. "It's a common practice for people to chose the left passage over the right, so I say we go against the grain."

"The children fled left," Nova said to Cory, pointing at a series of tracks and even bloodstains leading that way. "There must be shelter there."

"And parents," Cory said with a scowl.

"Doubtful," Ivon shook his head, "if they were in a pack like that, they must be without adult supervision. Children rarely go out and attack in such a manner, it would be the adults."

"I don't like where this is going," Emily said, moving closer to Flit. "I say right."

"Um, I say left," Kannas spoke up painfully, still gingerly holding his side, "The right passage leads to the nest of that, crocodile?"

"Left it is," Cory said, starting forward. "Everyone stay sharp, if you see a child, don't hesitate to grab it and see if we can get some info out of them."

"They can't speak English," Ivon and Nova said in unison. Both stared at each other vehemently.

"We didn't hear any familiar words or phrases," Ivon explained. "The Vagans seem to understand our language, so they must be educated as some point, but these children cannot. Further supporting the theory that they are abandoned and do not have any authority guiding them."

"So they're native orphans," Emily said with a sick face.

"Don't pity them," Flit said simply. "Decil was an orphan, and look how he turned out."

"Flit, that's generalizing-

-The truth is generalized as a rule."

Cory looked behind at Flit with a worried frown, but turned back without saying anything.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, the Moon, Federation bypass shaft **

"The Admiral is dead?" Milias gasped. "What about the plan, is Kindle resolved to go through with it?"

"That old dog would go through with something even if he had to impale himself on something long and sharp in the process," Ewen Winter said gravely. He hoisted his machine's mega launcher over the red Shaldoll's shoulder.

Nearby, the last contingent of reinforcements arrived, all freshly painted Shaldolls with green and white armor, wielding DODS rifles. Woolf whistled as the machines hopped inside, noticing that some possessed beam javelins. One was even hefting a DODS bazooka.

"They integrated the AGE-1 weapons," Milias said in amazement. "So fast, I'm impressed."

"That Maria is a fast one, she's definitely as obsessed as Flit," Woolf laughed. "I guess this means the attack is still on."

"The other forces should be ready to advance, but I wonder if this isn't a mistake," Milias said, apprehensively, "that feeling hasn't stopped Woolf."

"You and your feelings," Woolf muttered. "Now you've got me doing it. I have this strange feeling to, but this is where we are and this is what we have to do. Stay sharp and let me know if something feels worse, your powers could be great for dealing with ambushes."

Milias nodded and started the white and red Titus forward. "And if the whole thing is an ambush?"

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Captain Adams Tinel watched as the Federation fleets slowly began the approach the glowing shield covering Tycho Crater. Suddenly, the shield began to change and shift, and the center of the shield began to grow, creating a sort of sphere at the top of the glowing barrier, like a nanobud forming on a buckeye tube.

"What is that?" Adams demanded, growing uncertain. This was not a normal maneuver, that was plain, even before the inner interior of the shield evaporated, and Fardain slowly rose up into the sphere, the shield reforming beneath to trap it securely inside the hexagonal sphere.

"Admiral," Adams said, making contact with the flagship, which hung just to port of the _Diva, _flanked by both it and the green _Deva _on the other side.

"I _know,_ Adams," Admiral William Kindle drawled lazily from over the comm. "Calm down, they're just spooking us with some thrifty tactic. They've practically done our work for us, once the shield is down."

"But this is abnormal for them to move up closer just before an attack, versus defending the carbon mine," Adams protested.

"Adams, get back to captaining your ship so I can direct this battle," Kindle replied simply, cutting off the comm.

Captain Adams Tinel looked back, all the years under Grodek sneaking back to his consciousness. If the enemy was moving up to sortie, they had a plan in place to break the siege. Ensign Loum had been a spy, had _meant _to release information about the carbon mine, and the shield's weakness. Had it been a final gasp of loyalty and the enemy was moving up with the foreknowledge that the shield was lost? Or, had this all been an elaborate ploy?

He could only watch in growing wonder as an entire fleet of ships exploded from a concealed hole inside a small crater at least four klicks west of the blockade and charged into the night sky.

"Vagans?" They weren't retreating, he dared not assume that until proven wrong. So then, they were on the offensive for the first time. That could only mean they didn't fear at all for Fardain's safety. Adams sat back in his chair. This was a trap, and Kindle had obviously decided to spring it and see what happened. "Damn his withered old hide," Adams whispered, not daring to speak loud enough for the crew to hear as he slammed his fist on the armrest.

* * *

**Mars Sphere, Second Moon**

The sound of someone's anguished screams drew them closer. Emily and Kannas were close behind Cory, rounding the turn in the underground road first. Tasting bile, Emily opened her helmet visor and put a hand to her mouth as she resisted the urge to wretch. Once the initial feeling past, she found herself riveted to the sight.

A rather medium sized chamber spread out before them, covered with a metal floor with the side of a building from a higher level rising up from where the floor abruptly ended.

On the other end of the chamber, a human body was lying mutilated upon what looked like an operating table, a group of children busily cutting up the flesh and taking it through a door on plates into a doorway. A living human was begin dragged out to the table, a blue-haired boy around thirteen, bound with ropes but still struggling with all his might.

Flit came to a dead stop beside Emily, eyes suddenly blazing with an intensity that forced Emily to draw back a step. The stare caused an even sicker feeling to rise up in her stomach, and she grabbed Flit's arm jerking away with a start as he threw her hand off, giving her a deadly cold glower.

"They're not human," she heard him breathe, "Not a drop of their blood."

* * *

"Stop!" Aarabel Zoi begged, struggling as one of the children grabbed his cloak, and was promptly set upon by several of her fellows. "You don't have to do this!"

"We have nothing else!" The lead child snapped at him angrily, wild eyes sitting inside the hollows of his gaunt face. "Do you see any other food here?!"

"Get off his clothes, we can use them," one of the girls said, "I bet we could sell them for some real food."

"Yes, yes you could do that," Arabel said, trying frantically to come up with something to keep himself from being eaten.

"We tried that with the last one, they don't have food to give!" Insisted another child. "Hurry up and get him on the cutting board!"

Arabel stopped his struggling as he noticed the building rising up from the depths. It was a tower, a sublevel of some building he had seen before….

"Wait!" He shrieked, loud enough for the lead child to take suspicious notice. "I have something important to tell you!"

"I don't care if you're sick," the child warned. "Come up with a better excuse," he admonished with a swish of a cutting knife. "I'm _not _going to starve! Even the priestess abandoned us! Get him to the-

-do you know what that building is?" Arabel asked quickly, trying not to let his already pale face turn whiter. His teeth clattered and he felt like vomiting at the horrifying smell coming from the table in front of him—he refused to look at what was happening.

"Is there food?" The children crowded even closer, staring up at him with desperate, pleading eyes. "We want something else!"

"The food?! WHERE!?"

Arabel had to shout over their chanting. "It's the cold sleep chamber! We're almost directly over the Overlord's Palace and temple. If we tried, I bet we could get in through one of the levels beneath us."

"So?" The leader asked, crossing his arms, looking like he might begin to listen to reason.

"Oh, I guess we could thaw out the people and eat them instead," one of the children spoke up tentatively. "Then we wouldn't have to eat the blue haired kid."

"Let's do that instead!" Another child shouted. "I don't want to eat him."

"Stop!" The leader shouted, "we have to eat someone, do you want to starve like the others up above are?"

"There's cooling units down there, and supply stores and even nutrient fluid," Arabel said quickly. "You may not have to eat anyone."

The children stopped and began to consider this. "Alright," one of them said, "we're listening."

* * *

It took some time of running, dodging the other people rummaging about the underlevels, eating whatever or whoever they could find, before Arabel finally found a small hatchway that was easy enough to unlock. The interior was a maze covered with automated guard turrets and sentry mechanoids stalking the halls, but the children were masters of quiet, and managed to reach a small storage room that had another door leading into the facility. They encountered a mechanoid, but half the children had fusion torches obtained from the room, not to mention beam rifles from fallen victims. The mechanoid was overwhelmed quickly, although the loss of its tracking signal would put the entire facility on high alert.

At last, they came into a massive chamber—the central segment of the complex—where rows and rows of sleeping pods held many of Vagans people in slumber.

"They're the rich ones that go to sleep until Ezelcant brings us back to Earth," the lead child snarled derisively. "I say we show them what its like down here with us."

The other children began to agree one after the other, the resentment toward the privileged of Vagan rising in sudden fury.

Arabel meanwhile, crept back, horrified at what he'd done, but unsure what else he could have done to save his own life. They weren't going to listen to reason, it seemed. Then he noticed that the chamber was dark, and not quite as well maintained as when he first saw the containers on a visit to the complex with his father years ago. Was this a place for holding criminals, perhaps?

* * *

** Overlord's Palace**

Zoroaster Zara, sat straight up in his seat.

The wave of pain, hunger, and growing rage built like a storm. A group of children had infiltrated the cold sleep complex at its lowest level, the impounding grounds. He clinched his fists. That was where Issishar Ezelcant's sleeping pods had been moved secretly, in case he had need of bringing her back without anyone's knowledge. Worse, many of the people outside the complex must have somehow seen the children and caught on to their desperate, disgusting mission, because the wave of rage and sudden despairing hunger was growing like a tidal wave. He had to do something, anything.

There was simply not enough food. Period. The radiation and nanomachines riding on the magnetic storms had damaged the food crop to an extent that the crises was beyond immediate repair. Several container ships had been stored far from Mars, travelling behind the planet, but Angra Zenon had taken upon itself to destroy several of them, and the food could not be distributed evenly enough, as desperately colony leaders ransacked the supply ships when the docked at the remaining colonies. He couldn't blame them, people looked after their own in this kind of case.

He fumbled with a switch. It was a desperate gamble, one that may doom all of Vagan forever, but if the SCS fleet was willing, they may have mercy and begin sending food supplies to the people of Mars, once they knew the current situation. Unfortunately, Zara had no idea how Sinfreid Ogal would respond, and he had a sinking feeling that didn't bode well for the answer.

In the meantime…_Yark, we have a disaster on our hands. Take all your available forces and go to the cold sleep complex. The underlevel regions there are about to be engulfed in chaos. The death rate has made people panic too greatly. They're resorting to cannibalism and those inside the sleep pods are prime targets._

_Zara, you cannot be serious._

_I know! I know, Yark! Now get moving—NOW! There isn't much time. I'm sending the coordinates._

Zara broke contact and covered his face with his palm. All his plans were coming to ruin, and only now did he realize that awaking Ezelcant meant terminating his position for good. Which meant Issishar was swiftly becoming the only option left. Curse it all! How had things gone so wrong?

* * *

Arabel Zoi cried out in fear as he rounded a corner in the facility, trying to find some nutrient packs while he was here—and came face-to-face with a group of armed soldiers in Federation combat suits, all pointing rifles in his direction.

"You!" Flit Asuno said in sudden recognition.

Arabel knew Flit Asuno when he saw him, and drew back a step in terror. "Flit Asuno."

"Wait," Cory raised her hand and motioned for the others to lower their weapons. "If you can speak English, then we have need of your help"-several of the children rushed by through another hall, stopping by a grey black container pod with a yellow stasis panels blocking the view of the occupant. A red warning light glowed ominously at the top of the sealed hatch, warning all that this was a dangerous entity. Most criminals in Vagan were sealed into such capsules, that way they didn't require too much feeding to keep alive.

"Open it," screamed one of the children, and they began fiddling with the controls.

-"We need to get to the core," Cory continued, turning back from Arabel as the children continued to work. She seemed to consider something for a moment. "If you do, we'll take you and the other children back with us."

"WHAT!?" Flit cried, striding up to Cory, with a very dangerous look, his rifle half raised. "You can't authorize this!"

"We can't leave them here," Cory protested, pointing at the emaciated, desperate children as the pod began to hiss open. "Not in their condition. _Look _at what they're forced to do? You call leaving them here humane?"

"Good riddance if they devour each other," Flit snarled through gritted teeth. "For all we know all of Vagan is like this!"

"We'll discuss this later, Ensign," Cory said, turning back to Arabel, who stood by, looking back and forth as if to decide whether or not he should run or remain. "Show us the way to the core, and we'll take it from there."

"Hah, if only you knew," Arabel said with a shake of his head. "The rebels couldn't get through, no one will, unless they are only two or three people."

"That can be arranged," Cory said. "We're meeting up with our other forces, so we can reformulate a three member team, just take us there."

Flit and Emily gave a start. Cory and Arabel turned to find a occupant of the pod step out. The children started to lunge, but then cried out in surprise and stepped back almost reverently.

"Wow, it hurts coming out of cold sleep," the awoken child said, scratching his crimson hair. "Am I in the underlevels again? How'd I get back to Second Moon?" He turned this way and that, golden eye settling on Flit—he smiled. "Nice to see a familiar face, sort of. "How do you like my home, Mr. Flit?"

With a smile, Decil Galette pushed past the other children and stepped forward with a derisive grin.

* * *

Yurin L'Ciel passed into the darkened tunnel that led deeper into the forsaken interior of Second Moon, the cold air striking her like a wall. She had little food with her, the larder was locked down and she only had her daily rations, but it would be more than enough to entice the starving orphan gangs to follow her back to the temple. She didn't know how many there were, or if she could even get them all, but such thoughts were irrelevant now.

There was a scuffling. Yurin paused. Was it a gafran lizard? This close to the surface?

A figure stepped from the shadows, a little girl with white hair, covered in a dirty shift. Yurin remembered her among the other children that gathered near the back alleys near the temple. Abigel was her name, it had taken some time for Yurin to finally get that much out of her.

"It's you," the girl said, sounding surprised. She took a step back. "I can't go deeper, they're doing something really scary down there."

Yurin knelt down beside the child and held her for a long moment, listening her, and praying it all wasn't true. "Abigel," Yurin said, pulling back when the child had finished, "You have to show me the way down there."

"No! They'll"-Yurin stopped her with a finger to her mouth.

"None of that, they won't catch me." She felt a shudder of pure revulsion as she stared into the mouth of the dark labyrinth. "I know how to run in dark places." Standing, she summoned up all the memories of every dirty, filth ridden colony undercity she had experienced. Abigel took her hand and together they plunged into the underlevel depths.


	24. Chapter 23 Pulsation

_**Chapter Twenty Three Pulsation**_

* * *

**February 27****th****, AG118-Earth Sphere, the Moon, Tycho Crater Fortress, Adamantine, the **_**Diva**_

Sitting in the captain's chair aboard his battleship, Captain Adams Tinel stared down at the enemy fortress as beams opened fire from Fardain, straight through the barrier, although the timing was slightly delayed. Hadn't their been some report that the enemy could not fire from the other side of the barrier? He was too nervous to remember, and he set his teeth from chattering as his mind desperately tried to understand what trick the enemy was playing.

* * *

**Vagan subterranean supply route**

With a battlecry from its pilot, the red and white Titus Gundam barreled past a pair of Shaldolls, raised its glowing palms in the air and brought them down upon a Gafran as it charged forward. The mobile suit reeled back and blew apart, its entire head smashed and melted into its chest.

The G-Exes dashed past, firing its DODS rifle at a pair of support vehicles that resembled tanks, only were quite fast and behaved more like starfighters.

"We're pushing them back," Woolf cried, somersaulting over a wave of missiles, firing his DODS rifle again to spear one of the fighters on a swirling beam blast. "Makes me wonder whether we're just that good, or they aren't putting up enough resistance."

Milias alloy, inside the cockpit of the Titus, glanced aside to see a contingent of green Shaldolls and grey armored Genoace II charge up from deeper within the vast tunnel, unleashing a storm of firepower. A Starhammer_, _ever the versatile weapon, had converted to a tank, acting as a support platform, firing its missiles and beam cannon at the enemy lines.

Swarms of green-helmeted soldiers in normal suits zipped back, a purple Gafran covering them with beam machinegun fire. The blasts ripped into the first and second row of approaching Federation machines, blasting them to pieces as they were riddled with glowing holes. The shrapnel took the third row of Shaldolls, forcing them back behind their shields. The forces rushed through the fireball, firing their DODS rifles. The Gafran unleashed a torso cannon blast then transformed to mobile armor mode and dashed away.

"If they fortified this section more heavily, we wouldn't be able to get through," Milias muttered. "So why….?"

"Some of our forces have reached the crater," a voice crackled. "They're attacking the shield generators. Press forward!"

Milias worked her jaw in thought, stopping her Titus in its tracks. "Woolf, Ewen."

"I know, this is not right," Woolf said, touching down beside the white and red Gundam. "Ambat was hell of a lot harder than this, and we had plenty of worse things inside. Where are those heat rod things?"

"It's suspicious," Ewen Winter said, coming up beside them.

A Shaldoll rushed by and raised its manipulator, gesturing for the three machines to follow, "come on, we need heavy firepower up ahead," a captain's voice commanded.

"The shield is down! Repeat, the shield is down!" A triumphant pilot crackled over the comm.

The two Gundams turned and to look at each other.

Inside the cockpit, Milias frowned. "Maybe we worried for nothing."

* * *

Ponderously, the glowing crystalline shield vanished away, one panel at a time, from the generators up, not from the top down as it usually did. The mobile suit forces were now visibly from below, two of the generators now totally destroyed.

Woolf Enneacle rushed out of the transport shaft, angling past the burning wreckage of the carbon mining installation as the mobile suit forces pummeled it with beam fire. Milias was not far behind, and he slowed down for her sake. "Man, I'm getting soft. Listening to all her worrying has me edgy." He tapped the comm. "Milias, Ewen, stick close."

Up ahead, the great wall of the crater side rose ponderously, not near so tall as it had been in the past, thanks to hardened lava lake. Woolf activated the image magnifier, getting a close-up of the ball and socket shaped generators. A grey mobile armor crouched in front of one, two giant beam blades ignited. A pair of grey hued Baqto flanked the other sides of the device, firing away with their chest cannons.

"I take it that's a Defurse," Woolf said, using the G-Exes to point at the indicated generator. "Come on. It's time to smash some mobile armors."

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Adams watched the shield collapse, noting that Fardain remained protected behind its own, smaller shield. The enemy was safe, but it seemed that they were giving up Tycho. How odd. If they were, why would they have Defurse and Baqto at every single generator? It was as if they wanted to keep the generators but not the base.

"The shield's down, all ships full speed ahead!" Admiral William Kindle commanded, the flagship, _Mirage _unleashed a burst of exhaust, rushing past the _Diva _toward the opened crater below—Adams Tinel jumped to his feet—straight into a trap.

"They're going to reactivate the shield and trap us inside!" Adams cried, growing furious more with himself than Kindle. Sireneen would have foreseen this, would have called off the attack after realizing her aide was a spy. Kindle, in his hard-headed valor, was being played like a puppet.

Adams returned to his seat, texting on the armchair terminal a text only Vargas Dyson could read.

Vargas, we have just suffered from a serious engine failure and won't be able to proceed above forty-nine percent our flank speed.

Vargas was fast. Thirty seconds later, one of his operators cried out in surprise. "Captain Tinel, the plasma drives are overheating, we're losing power!"

Adams growled as if in honest rage. "Ahley, inform the _Mirage _we cannot keep up and will proceed at our current speed while we correct the engine trouble. Guiren, keep the ship just behind the _Mirage _for support, I don't want us a sitting duck."

* * *

Milias charged up the slope, batting aside beam bolts from the Baqto as it looked down at her, visor line gleaming green. The Defurse angled its glowing beam emitter up toward the heavens, unleashing a gigantic pillar of light that razed a whole line of _Darwins. _Their forward weapons melted and exploding, the vessels turned aside and began to retreat, some breaking apart as fire from Fardain itself struck their softened armor and pierced right through, blowing them up into plumes of flame.

Milias aimed her DODS rifles at the Defurse, only for her shots to miss as a pulse of revulsion and pure white rage blasted into her mind and set her arms trembling for a long moment. The feeling past, but not before a furious red halo sent her head spinning toward the distant red pinprick of light of Mars.

_Flit?_

* * *

**Mars Sphere, Second Moon**

Yurin L'Ciel and her orphan guide slowed their pace, moving their feet quickly as they descended a very steep slope. With a cloud of dust and a shake of shale from the slope, they finally reached the bottom.

"No rest, they ambush here," Abigel insisted, grabbing Yurin to drag her further into the black as pitch cavern. How the little girl knew where she was going without an X-Rounder's senses was a mystery to Yurin.

_She must have memorized the route, not hard, if you're life depends on it._ She had done the same thing on one of the Kinshasa colonies, where the sublevel Blackspace leader would actually shut off the power when he went on the hunt for victims or fought a rival gang entering his territory. Dark places for dark times, Yurin decided.

She slid on something slimy, almost shrieking as the feeling of a slug's mucus squished wetly between her toes. Yurin shook worse than if she'd been shot—and would rather have been at the moment—and thought of removing her sandal, had the horror of stepping on a slug bear footed not appealed to her less.

"Ms. Yurin!?" The girl asked, spinning around and leaping back, obviously sure something worse happened.

"I'm fine—I think. It's just a slug I stepped on."

"It'll itch bad," warned Abigel.

"Thank you for telling me," Yurin said sarcastically, standing up and continuing after Abi, her sandal and foot squishing with each step, the slimy, yet somehow sticky mucus gluing her foot and sandal together, while the crushed animal acted as an adhesive, catching the ground with each step. Yurin waited two minutes before she could take no more of the sticky lump under her shoe and removed the sandal with one quick, powerful kick.

"Shssh," Abigel hissed, grabbing Yurin's hand again. "Must's be quiet now, Ms. Yurin. Old gafran nests. Never know when they might be here."

Yurin and Abi tiptoed carefully, Yurin cringing as the slime glued her squeezed toes together with a loud _squish _every step they took. If she died, it better not be the fault of some mindless _slug. _

* * *

Amadis Largo peeled himself off the wall and crept back into the shadows of a crevasse, which had cracks lining the wall, each one harboring a dozen earwigs. He knew they were harmless, yet for some reason they had this annoying persistence to crawl up his suit's legs and scurry over the helmet, as if trying to get inside. He wiped one such creature away as it dropped on him from the ceiling, abdominal pinchers opening and closing weakly.

The other members of his group pressed against each other in the tiny space, breathlessly waiting as the contingent of armed Vagan soldiers moved past, a masked man in the center of the group, cowl still covering his head even inside the red helmeted normal suit he wore. The other men, all greenheads as the commandos had dubbed them, carried beam rifles. Two mechanoids stalked behind them, tails swishing almost lifelike as their glowing visors panned the halls for signs of life. Amadis felt a bead of sweat fall as one of the lights fell on the entrance to their hiding place. The Mechanoid's visor suddenly glowed red, and it released a panning wave of light, back and forth back and forth across the crack. He raised his rifle, the targeting reticle on his helmet visor, which doubled as a computer screen of sorts, flashed to life and trained on the saurian machine.

With a horrible screech, the mechanoid flung itself forward, splaying its combat claws—Amadis fired.

* * *

**The **_**Silhouette**_

"To think I would be left to sit here while everyone does the hard work," Adalbrecht Diamler muttered, honestly angry that he had been forced to remain aboard the _Silhouette. _Someone capable had to captain it, but now that Flit Asuno was going down, Adalbrecht felt a strange sibling rivalry. He twirled his golden locks above his forehead in agitation. Flit would be hailed a hero of course, while Adalbrecht Asuno would sit in the background yet again, his cousin would have yet another reason to spurn him as a traitor to the family name. How had his mother done it? Seduced him even after all her attempts to steal the device, it was unthinkable. He had lived in her shadow long enough, he needed to prove to Flit he was not a cowardly Yellow Shirt.

_True, I was within the inner circle of the Special Forces, but still. I had plans. I could have stopped them given a little more time._

"Helm, quarter speed, take us toward that shoal zone. I want a closer look at that fortress."

As the _Silhouette _turned to obey his commands, Adalbrecht sat back. He refused to be left idle while everyone did the work. That fortress was something else, and he wanted to get a good look at it before he scratched it off as a potential target. _Flit, you're not the only one who wants to do his job well._

* * *

**Second Moon**

"Must—remain calm and focused," Zara strained with all his might, the Thought Panner striking up its systems again as he pushed back into that storm of painful electric shockwaves. The world spun within the rippling ocean of green, then he was rushing, twisting, hurtling down through the center of a tree root-like vein of green light, then thousands of roots until with a burst of a burning red halo he was Second Moon itself for one single horrifying moment of pain. He quickly searched through the thoughts and minds of millions of people in an instant, the way one would do selecting something on a website listing of apparel, stopping on the ones he had designated as the enemy infiltrators.

_Who is the leader? Aboard those stealthy little ships? No, he's here. Leader, leader, leader, ah! That one—Amadis Largo. He's fighting Yark Dole. Hmm, that should do it, but the situation inside the complex is getting worse. _

A beeping, distant, as if he were hearing it while still half-trapped within a waking dream, alerted Zara that the SCS emissary, Sinfreid Ogal was at last trying to make contact. Like a man almost awake, yet not quite in control of his limbs, Zara battled to slowly reach across the control panel and tap a glowing red light on the flat control board. "Speak," he said, his own voice sounding hollow and indistinct. With a rush, he was back, panting. His body broke into a feverish sweat.

"Zoroaster Zara, I am come to respond to your request for medical assistance," Sinfreid Ogal said, his face appearing on a large holoscreen in front of Zara, who's commander's mask forgivingly prevented Sinfreid from seeing his weakened condition. "It is not the official position of the Sarapin Collective Systems to engage in humanitarian activities during a military operation. After careful deliberation with the committee elders, my aide"-he turned to the side with an askew glance at a young, dark haired woman in the background, who seemed to be wearing similar clothing to Sinfreid, even the braided ponytail of hair falling down her back-"was very insistent that we cannot allow your wretched condition to continue. The initial plan brought forth by her and eventually by the committee was to assimilate Vagan into the Collective, thus giving you our full support. However, Angra Zenon has just arrived at Neptune in reaction to one of our fleet movements. The entire military strength there is being _decimated."_

Sinfreid Ogal paused for a moment to let this sink in, then continued, "The Council's view is clear now. We cannot endanger the Neptunian populace by escorting the people of Vagan through the debris belt or from Mars at this time until the condition at Neptune has stabilized and Angra Zenon is driven off. They were firm in this decision. Regardless of this view, we are willing to provide disaster relief services. I will be arriving shortly to direct the reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?" Zara asked, trying to hide the jitter in his voice at the nervous idea of SCS troops entering Second Moon.

"We will make certain the cold sleep complex is secure from all harm," Sinfreid said with a slight bow. "I look forward to meeting you in person, Zoroaster Zara."

_The complex? How did he know that!?_

The screen went dark, and Zara sat back, closing his eyes in growing apprehension. Then it occurred to him that these people may yet have a Thought Panner of their own. The idea..was frightening.

_Yark, quicken your movements, we are running out of time. The situation must stabilize before the SCS arrive, or we could be looking at a two front war that we are not prepared to fight._

* * *

Flit Asuno flung up his rifle and would have stitched Decil with a hundred bullets had Arabel Zoi not hurled himself into the weapon, sending the shots wide, one of which narrowly missed a child, who shrieked in fear and darted away, the other children following.

"Cease fire!" Onette Cory shouted, stepping in front of Decil, grabbing Flit's arm with her hand. "You're not to shoot until I give the order."

"Cory do you know who he is-

-I know!" She yelled back, raising her hand as if to slap him. She brought it back down and scowled. "Flit, I didn't join the special operations core because I wanted to become a child killer. We have a mission and they can help, so calm down."

"He's the one who nearly killed Yurin, Emily—and ME!" Flit cried, throwing up his own hands and staring past Cory at the wicked presence pulsing behind that impish face. "Decil's from this cannibalizing shithole. He's not fit to live."

"Flit, that's enough," Emily said, sailing over to grab his other arm.

"Flit, you cannot believe what you're saying," Kannas Westmorland said, moving over to gently remove Cory's restraining hand, Emily let go as well. "They need more help that the people of Earth do."

Flit's mind flashed back to the battle at Nora, the sheer power of the Zedas as it struck relentlessly at Ambat, and Decil's cackling apparition taunting him as Yurin was held hostage like—as Decil so aptly said it—a mere weapon in his arsenal. "That's wrong!" He shouted, shaking his head vigorously before looking back at Kannas with a cold stare that send the other man a step back. "That little bastard is far from helpless. Don't kill him now, and God only knows what he's capable of," he turned back to Decil, who was talking in lowered voices with the other orphans, Arabel standing close by, looking back with obvious fear at what might become of him.

"Flit, I've been with you on those adventures, and I know what it felt like to fear the Zedas inside the _Diva. _But remember that Amy Takeo released Decil. It was out of pity. That's what I'm feeling now," Cory gestured at the ragged, starved children. "I bet they could drop dead at any minute, and that's an _educated _assumption on my part."

Flit stalked into her face and lowered his head at her in challenge. "Since when did you become so bold, Cory?" He brushed passed her with his shoulder, letting go of the rifle to make sure the others didn't stop him again.

* * *

"We thought you were lost!" One of the children was saying, eyes big as he talked to Decil. "Don't worry, we won't eat you…"

"Let's find something else," a girl said, "I don't feel so good."

"The nutrient packs will fill you up better," Arabel said quickly.

"We'll feed you," Flit said, taking out a cracker bar and tossing it to Arabel, who began to break it into pieces as the children prepared to pounce on him like famished wolves.

Decil suddenly pushed through and jumped—somersaulting over Arabel's shoulder. He landed, cracker bar in hand with a smile on his lips. Arabel looked down stupidly at his fist, which gripped an empty wrapper.

"Decil 's Back!" The children shouted as they crowded around their old leader happily. Some of the other children had arrived from the room, and were standoffish—obviously members of a different pack.

"He's got to share," the oldest among them spoke up, starting forward angrily.

Decil leapt forward, landing in front of him with a snarling, wolfish grin. "Come on. What's wrong? Afraid to fight? Don't worry, I'll go easy on a weakling like you," he bit into the bar and leaned forward, eyes flashing. "Don't think I'd give you the food though. That's staying with me."

"Get us more of them, Decil!" One of the children among his followers piped up.

"We will feed you," Flit said again, louder this time as he took out several bars and handed them to the children, letting them tear the food out of his hands and fight over it like sharks. "In return you will help us reach the moon's gravity generator. If you try to trick us I will shoot you," he said slowly, deliberately.

"Yeah yeah, we'll help," Decil said with an amiable smile, breaking his bar absently and tossing the bitten half at the other kids behind him, who leapt up and grabbed for it desperately. He went over to Arabel, who was standing to the side, a look of distaste on his face, though Arabel had known enough about Decil to expect such behavior. "Arabel, you were a good zero g playmate, but," he smiled, "don't get in the way here, okay? You look older," he said after a moment of thought, rubbing his chin, one hand on his hip. "How long?"

"Three years as of today, February 27th, AG118," Flit said stoically, marching forward as he whipped out his pistol from its holster. "No tricks Decil."

"No tricks," Arabel assured Flit.

"Hehe, yeah," Decil mocked, pointing at Arabel. "What he said."

* * *

Sinfreid Ogal marched from the landing platform of the dark blue shuttle, flanked by three guards in black armor with blue ceremonial blue sashes about their waists. Both had brown hair, done in a long ponytail that fell down their backs, although they were tucked into their suits, and so Zoroaster Zara could not tell quite how long they were.

Another ship, this one a transport of sorts, touched down a moment later, a crew of workers in orange, armored suits with helmets swarming out of an opening hatch, wielding crates filled with supplies. At least, Zara hoped they were supplies. If the enemy planned to take Second Moon, they may decide to distribute explosives under the pretence of foodstuffs and medical kits.

"It is a privilege to meet you," Sinfreid said, inclining his head as his two escorts marched up just in front of him and stood at attention, neither seemed to be wielding any visible weaponry.

Zoroaster Zara, wearing his purple and red robes of the Sun Priest, inclined his masked head in the same fashion as Sinfreid. Best to follow their customs, an offense so early would result in disaster.

The workers with the crates floated forward and placed the large, white boxes in front of either black-clad escort in front of Sinfreid. Both soldiers bent over simultaneously and unlatched the crates, opening them to reveal a mass of white packages in plastic wrapping.

"You will find all manner of basic foods here," Sinfreid said, raising his head to look down his nose at Zara. "The medical aid will arrive shortly in another transport. As he spoke, the ship in question lumbered into the hanger, a third transport approaching in behind it in the distance down the long access tunnel from the entrance.

Boxes continued to pile up one after the other, Zara more intrigued by the workers' suits, which gave them flight capability under gravity, similar to the levitator packs on his own people's normal suits, though these showed no apparent device for a levitator.

As the third transport touched down, a fourth ship approached, this one obviously a gunship, with a sleek hull and angular wings like a dolphin, with a pair of what Zara assumed to be turrets mounted underneath the wings, long, thin yellow crystals that must be beam diffuse emitters. The technology was the same as what Ezelcant found inside the _Vega_, Zara realized, but obviously improved.

"We have brought a squad of infantry to assist in cracking down on the unrest within the underlevels," Sinfreid said, stepping forward with a sweep of his silver cape. Zara nodded and came up beside him, his five mechanoid guards turning around in a hiss of servos, two beside Sinfreid's guards, one behind them, and the remaining two just in front, leading Zara and the Atlantian down an orange colored corridor, wide enough for several such processions to pass by abreast of each other.

"On behalf of the Supreme Overlord, I pray your gracious assistance will result in more congenial relations between our two worlds," Zara said, gesturing with his hand.

"The Council is unlikely to change its mind," Sinfreid replied slowly, with a small shake of his head, the beads woven into his hair sparkling metallically. "We of Neptune may however open relations with Second Moon if arrangements may be made. The political environment of our homeworld is subject to frequent change, and so it may take time to reach a mutually satisfying arrangement that does not infringe upon Neptune's independent rights laid out by the SCS commonwealth's precincts."

"In the meantime, I will arrange for the food stores to be removed to the Fire Temple ahead of us," Zara said, changing the subject for the moment. "The temple plaza is large and an excellent place to begin distribution."

* * *

**Vagan Battlestation, Zul Dahala**

Martha Reed found Medel Zant leaned on a viewport rail, watching the glittering atmosphere of Mars. Flashes of lightning crackled across its off white stormclouds.

"The terraformer's started up a storm," Zant mumbled to her, his chin resting on his crossed forearms.

"The poles are whiter than I remember. Rain?" She asked quietly, leaning down beside him to stare at the planet. "The atmosphere is pretty to watch."

"Hm?"

"Nothing," she said, her eyes turning from the planet's rusty surface to regard Zant, who was staring thoughtfully at the planet.

"I take it your family isn't here," Zant said after a long silence.

"No one has them registered in any of the refugee camps. Glimrong colony was the second to fall, along with Keshae. They're still down there." Her voice fell with her eyes to the rail in front of her.

"Tell me Martha, how did you know we shouldn't come back? Is it some X-Rounder magic? Was I being too headstrong? Maybe if I had Frost's senses, I wouldn't have been duped."

"What's wrong?" Martha asked, leaning over to get a look at his face more clearly. "Is your family alright?"

"Of course they are, on Second Moon, with a whole host of guards making sure rioters don't come ransacking their home. I wonder how they are right now."

"Did you not call?"

Zant snorted. "They don't care. Dad's probably in tears over his Mineral Mix factory, it got toasted by the magnetic storm. The nanomachines had a heyday with his nutrient vats."

"You should call and comfort them, that would-

-They don't care if their son is here right now. I'm one less mouth to feed so long as I'm in the military. I don't care about them either—they wanted to spoil me when I was little, and I bucked it and their traditions at every turn. I wasn't even thinking about them until you brought up your family."

"Then why are you so glum?"

"The reports I guess. They're starting to eat each other over there," he pointed at Second Moon, "and there," again at a pair of colonies floating idly near the shoal zone's outskirts.

Martha looked down sadly, "I thought that was it. Zant, you aren't responsible for the famine, or for what people resort to to survive," she looked over at him sternly.

"I thought I could make a difference, but how can I behind the cockpit of a mobile suit?" He beat his fist against the rail, producing a dull metal note, "Why won't An Grams _do _something? I have plans, and ideas, but I don't know if he'll use them or not. Waiting out the enemy is a good strategy, but not when we're in such a mess over here. He needs to do _Something!?_" Zant collapsed against the rail again, his frame draping over it like a wrung-out rag, and half as worn too, by the look of his bloodshot eyes.

She put an arm around his shoulder. "Cheer up. We're going to crush the Terrans when we get back."

Zant patted her hand, "I know. I just hope we have people to bring back with us once we do."

* * *

**Second Moon**

Because most of the children could not speak anything but their native Vagan language, the party found it difficult to usher them out of the complex without Decil and Arabel's help. Flit found that hideous and disgusting, relying on Decil for _anything_. Arabel seemed to be a different sort of character, driven by something, and minutely X-Rounder positive, at least Flit thought so. He was around Kannas so much, Flit was beginning to wonder if his senses were being smothered—not that he would be able to sense such a thing. He presumed because of Kannas' unique nature, that he prevented the usual increase in power that X-Rounders experienced when around each other or in physical contact. Decil was here, yet Flit could only just barely feel an increased pulsation of his senses. Kannas was good for something at least, as his own weakness meant Decil was not much better off.

With the orphan gang outside the facility, Arabel and Decil said their goodbyes and started off into the darkened caverns, Flit directly behind them before the rest of the group. If something went wrong, he'd be the first to face the brunt of it—it was his responsibility after all, for allowing Cory to get away with using Decil. The little monster needed a bullet through his head, not encouragement to try another one of his tricks.

* * *

Yurin L'Ciel and Abigel rushed through the halls, the sound of beam weapons fire growing more and more frequent with each passing minute. The slime had turned to pure glue on Yurin's bare foot, as well as a bit itchy as the acid slowly nibbled away at her skin. It was harmless, nothing more than an irritant to distract her senses as she cast them up, down, and all around. It was this dogged panning of the area that saved them. A mechanoid squad was rushing down a steep tunnel, about ready to charge out of a cave to their right, where a group of soldiers were being held hostage by a small mass of people, the exact number of which Yurin could not guess.

She guided Abigel into a side passage, "Be quiet and stay close," she commanded, clamping a mouth over the little girl as they crawled deeper into the rock. Shooting soon began, followed by screams of terror and the occasional explosion of a mechanoid being torn apart by beam fire.

A light materialized out of the darkness, with a face not far behind. Yurin crouched low as the woman passed, followed by an armed group of people, all carrying beam rifles, the lights on each activated to illuminate the way. Suddenly a hand grabbed her, and she and Abi found themselves facing a group of dirty, bruised faces, one of which was a mahogany haired woman of about average height, holding a pair of beam pistols straight at her.

"Do you know where the cold sleep complex is located?" The woman asked sharply, stepping forward in two long strides, cocking one of her weapons. "Answer. You're a temple priestess, you should know how to get there."

"I-I'm not really a priestess," Yurin stammered, the pounding of the mechanized gafrans echoed through the room.

"Lead us," the woman commanded, "Or we leave you behind for the lizards."

Seeing there was not much use, and fearing the woman might kill her anyway, Yurin stepped past Cinnamon Maugh, clutching Abigel's hand tightly in case someone grabbed at them. They reached the front of the line and started off at a dead run, the band close behind the two girls.

"I know the way," Abigel cried to Yurin, taking a sharp right into a narrow, twisting passage.

* * *

_I and the Sarapin Collective emissary are on our way, _Zoroaster Zara's voice echoed in Yark Dole Briar's mind. _Where are you_?

_Inside the cold sleep complex, _he replied, staring at Decil Galette's empty pod, _I didn't make it in time to prevent some of the modules from being opened, though it looks as though there are minimal casualties, besides the mechanoids, which took a beating. My forces are spread thin all the way from Block 23 to here at the impounding grounds. How many reinforcements are you bringing?_

_Enough to suffice, of our own and from SCS. Is there anything else?_

_I captured a man named Amadis Largo of the Federation. He is the Prime Minister's personal assistant, the counterpart to your own rank, Zoroaster._

_I know that. I was hoping you would capture or kill him. I will interrogate him personally, although you should begins softening his mind._

_I…would prefer to wait until your arrival._

_Stop being soft, Yark Dole Briar, and do as I command. I am going now. Stay cautious, the SCS somehow knew the details of our troubles, no doubt there are spies among us._

_By your command. _Yark turned back to the man slumped on the ground near him, helmet removed, pinned to the ground by a mechanoid's hind claws, one of which was stabbing into his right arm, although Yark suspected the suit had held against the claw.

He bent down to stare Amadis Largo in the eyes. _"See what you're about to do? What would Yurin L'Ciel think about this?" _Iwark Briar's voice popped into his head automatically. _Be quiet, at least for ten minutes. And stop comparing me to Yurin, I am not her._

"_That you aren't."_

"I have nothing to tell you," Amadis Largo grunted. "You know I am here to scout out the enemy territory. I really don't know quite how to go about sabotaging your colony. I was on my way to meet Ezelcant. Please, let me speak with him."

"Overlord Ezelcant is indisposed at this time. You will answer to Zoroaster Zara. He will be arriving shortly to interrogate you. Voice your questions to him."

"I only want to talk—I'll call off my forces, we can discuss this one last time! There can be peace between Earth and Mars," he struggled, screamed as his armor gave way and the mechanoid's claw impaled his forearm, pinning him to the floor. Blood started spreading from the injury. The mechanoid leaned its long neck over and looked upside down at Amadis, its visor line lighting up curiously. With an almost apologetic warble, it stepped back and retracted its foot, yanking the talon from the man's arm.

"_Go on, you heard the big Z. Brainblast him."_

_I will remove the last vestiges of your existence first,_ Yark released a flood of his senses, an orange halo rippling at the edges of his vision. It faded away, leaving his mind mercifully clear for the duty ahead.

He bent down in front of Amadis and shook his masked face sadly at him. "How can you even negotiate for a government you cannot control? Cedrick Fondor is a fool, and your people unleashed the terraformer on us." He gestured around the room, "this is the last safe haven at Mars, and even then we do not have enough of the chambers for all of us. We will not stop this war, not until the Federation is crushed and Earth ours to return to." He bent forward and grabbed Amadis' head, releasing a trickle of his power. Then a stream, then a river, and finally his full strength. Amadis screamed and tried to resist, but the mechanoid had already grabbed his arms, holding him in place.

* * *

Yurin flew against the wall and vomited, the ejecta splattered onto her dress and face. She pealed herself from the wall, unable to breathe, her face numb from the force of the pain in her mind, rather than the huge bruise appearing on her cheek. She finally caught her breath and sat up, placing one hand against the wall. The mahogany haired woman stepped forward and pointed for her to continue.

"We are all dead if those mechanoids find us," she fumed, taking a step forward. "Get up," she snarled, grabbing Yurin by the hair and hauling her to her feet.

"YURIN," shrieked a female voice. Yurin turned to find Abigel in the clutches of a pair of emaciated men. They vanished into a side corridor, although the girl's squeals echoed mournfully.

"Run!" Someone shouted.

Needing no further commands, Yurin leapt to her feet and rushed forward, tasting bile as another gut-wringing blast of pain washed over her. What was happening? Behind, blight flashes hailed the beginnings of a battle. Something hissed and screeched, followed by bellows of pain. She felt rock fall on her head and looked up to find a massive human-sized lizard drop from the ceiling, jaws open wide to reveal a two rows of sharp, saliva-drenched teeth.

Convinced she was trapped in a nightmare, Yurin gave a wordless scream of terror and bolted faster with a primal fear to run. Cinnamon Maugh fired a pair of beam blasts, the first of which missed, but the second incinerated the live gafran's tail. Keening in agony, the lizard slinked into the shadows. Yurin ran on, listening to the sound of Abigel's cries grow more and more distant.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Arabel asked Decil as they crept deeper into a darkened building constructed right into the cavern wall. It was fully automated apparently, as the control room was empty and its terminals locked down.

"This is one of the primary air support stations, it leads directly to the core. Destroy this and Second Moon's air production decreases by a third," Decil explained.

"How could you know that?" Demanded Flit.

"Yark Dole told me."

"Yes," Flit ground his teeth silently. "Him. Is he on Second Moon?"

"I wouldn't know."

Flit moved over to a terminal and plugged his PDA into the slot. "This is where I need Haro."

"What are you trying to do?" Cory asked, walking up with the others.

"Some insurance in case we don't make it to the gravity control center."

"Oh we won't," Arabel said, ignoring Decil and Flit's glowers. "We tried already."

"You said that before. Who were you with?" Kannas asked.

"The rebels. That part of Second Moon is heavily fortified."

"I told you I know how to get in!" Decil insisted vehemently.

"How can you be sure?" Flit demanded.

Decil smiled mischievously. "Because I have the access codes for the main gate."

"I see," Cory smiled slightly. "Well, that solves part of the problem."

"Ensign Asuno!" A mechanical voice called.

Flit turned to see Haro floating down the hall on its levitator, flapping its ears.

"Haro?" The Federation soldiers asked as one.

"Commander Largo's team has been destroyed," Haro said with a blink of his eyes. "I was able to escape and track you here thanks to the lieutenant's homing signal."

"Amadis is captured," Cory repeated grimly, looking down. "Then we may not have much time left."

"We cannot wait for the other team," Ivon Alfenoa said. "There is precious little chance of us pulling off this mission regardless. Once we do disable their gravity systems, if that is our plan, we must then find our way to the Overlord's Palace. And from there find Ezelcant. For all we know he could be in that cold sleep complex, or possibly even dead."

"We can at least do some damage," Cory said.

"The right kind of damage is more important," Flit corrected. "Which is where you can come in, Haro."

"I am here to serve." Haro floated over to Flit, who placed him at the terminal.

"If we can hack into their control systems, we might be able to access the gravity control system here."

"Cant' do that." Decil said with a shake of his head.

"Why _not_?" Flit asked angrily, stepping toward Decil.

"Because the gravity generator has to be operated from _Vega._"

"_Vega_?"

"Yeah, the ship." Decil looked from Flit to Cory to Arabel then back at Flit again. "Don't any of you know?"

"I haven't actually been inside the core myself," Arabel said, raising his hands.

"There's this ship in the center of Second Moon, I mean a really really really old ship," Decil said, spreading his arms. "Ezelcant has a vat there with a clone! At least, he did. It wasn't there last time I went. And there's all these plans there they keep talking about! It was where they got the blueprints for my Zedas!"

"Sounds like the EXA-DB fragment Ezelcant talked about."

"We have to get to the core," Cory said. "If we can destroy the database, or capture it, it would mean the end of this war."

"And they have backup files," Decil said casually. "Like—all over."

Cory cursed and kicked a stone. "Well, I guess we can settle for capturing the information then."

The stone clattered deeper into the shadowed facility, stopping near a sealed door. There was a hissing sound, and something in the darkness moved. Then another something moved, and another, until a cacophony of hissing raged in all directions. "Lights," Cory commanded, snapping them toward the seething shadows. There was nothing in the large chamber at any of its four corners or at the open passageways leading further into the structure.

"I feel them—up above!" Flit said, shining his helmet light up toward the high, vast ceiling. Hundreds of dark blue or purple scales glittered in the light, coiling and writhing all along the girders supporting the ceiling. One of the reptiles dropped down, unfurling a pair of wings to glide down and drop neatly on splayed claws, the talons screeching against the cold metal floor. The beast opened its mouth and flicked out a red tongue, testing the air as its reptilian eyes roved over Flit and the others.

"Oh my, I have yet to find such a creature in my database," Haro said. "It must be a result of the terraformer's genetic alteration attempts to adapt life forms to the Martian environment."

"It's a Gafran," Emily said.

"What? Really?" Flit looked again, and sure enough he could see the resemblance. The gravity of the situation took hold. "Haro—get control of this station, do it now!"

More hissing followed, and a swarm of Gafrans began leaping from their roosts to soar down. The first raised a crest above its head reminiscent to the Gafran mobile suit's opened chin guards and screamed an organic noise very, very similar to the whine of the MS when its visor line lit up. As if on signal, the reptiles launched themselves at the party, hissing and slashing with their claws.

"They _are _Gafrans!" Nova yelled, bringing up her rifle to throw up a lead curtain between the group and the gafrans. Cory hurled a grenade. A flash—gore and pieces of the winged lizards fell all around the group in a gristly rain. More Gafrans hurtled down. They seemed to only have six or so in the cavities in their wrists, and moved closer almost immediately to attack with their claws and teeth. One swept its tail at Emily, knocking her back with a brutal thud into Kannas. Both crashed to the floor, groaning and cursing at knives tickling at their organs.

Gasping, Kannas got up before Emily and tried to help her up, but she pulled him down on top of her and rolled—a gafran hopped down from above, slashing with its claws. Kannas turned his back at the beast and released his verniers, spraying the lizard with a jet of propellant that sent it leaping way, hissing and flailing its tongue in the air, one eye blown out by the compressed gas.

Two more rushed in at Haro, snapping and biting. Flit gunned them down with his rifle. One rushed in behind, biting into the back of this thigh. Something cold pricked his leg, and he went down, leg giving way like it were a wet noodle, almost numb and tickly. The Gafran grabbed at his neck and began shaking savagely, slashing with its claws. Flit pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. Unable to replace the clip with a giant lizard on top of him, Flit grabbed at his pistol and fired, striking the beast square in the forehead. The bullet pierced the scales, but the gafran's hide absorbed a good deal of the shock. It's extremely hard skull did the rest, and the bullet lodged itself inside the cranium. Shrieking in rage, the gafran grabbed Flit's hand and bit down hard.

Flit screamed in agony as the teeth cut bone and tendon. He whipped out his combat knife and stabbed at the monster's eye. The Gafran hurtled backward, its teeth ripping off Flit's glove. Tears formed in his eyes as he cradled his hand, rocking back and forth as he tried to stifle the pain. More gafrans descended, keening at the smell of fresh blood. Flit kicked one back, grabbed a new clip and reached for his rifle. Then Haro floated overhead and deployed its fusion cutters on its manipulator claws. Seven gafrans leapt back as Haro struck with precise slashes, cutting straight through muzzle and talon and tail.

A rain of bullets tore the gafrans flying down at Flit, and he splattering his face with meaty pieces. He ran from underneath the deluge, finally getting the clip into his rifle and spraying bullets into the mass of slashing gafrans as they tore forward. One caught his ankle, and he almost went down, but not before spinning, tearing apart the lizards closest to him. His ankle felt as if fire ants had suddenly crawled inside the wound and started biting, and he went down—hard.

Cory was there a moment later, firing her assault rifle with reckless abandon into the swarm of bodies. Her helmet's light went out with a pop as a gafran slashed it with its claw. She pumped a few rounds into the air after the gafran, which arced away safely and whined in protest.

Flit glanced across the room to find Emily and Nova back to back, trying to keep the gafrans from leaping on Arabel and Decil, who cowered at their feet. Correction, Flit noticed—Arabel cowered, Decil had taken Nova's pistol and was taking precision shots at the reptilian animals as they rushed in for a bite or slash.

A scream of pain flew across the room. Flit whipped his head back. The largest gafran he had seen yet, nearly the size of some big cat, crouched behind Cory, its horn spearing into her middle back. She seemed to wretch, then her fingers loosened on her rifle.

Flit rushed forward, dodging swiping claws and tails, firing at anything that got close. Haro called for him and was soon hovering alongside, fusion cutters whining at low power. A massive gafran, this one even bigger than the one menacing Cory leapt down from above and slashed at him. Flit knew it was coming and leapt to the side. The slash only just barely reached him, slicing right through the suit and tearing it half off him. He collapsed, immediately set upon by smaller gafrans, biting at his exposed chest and torso, ripping through the fabric of his pilot's suit. In a flash, five of them were flying away in as so many pieces, the larger gafran having sliced them apart with a single sweep of its claws. Flit grabbed his rifle and swung it up, pumping bullets into the gafran's chest, dark bursts of scale and blood erupting like geysers along the impact points. Their were several flashes like flame as the deeper layer of scales gave way, and the monster fell on top of Flit, who had the good sense to pull his legs away from the monster.

Then Cory came limping over, her face white and pupils dilated with pain. "Poison," she said breathlessly. She pointed a finger over his head. Flit looked, stopping to shoot at a group of gafrans wheeling overhead, looking for an opportunity to strike. The larger ones seemed to be the more patient. Flit looked beyond them and found Kannas lying crouched on the ground—still managing to fire his rifle—and Ivon Alfenoa, rushing about from place to place, never standing still no matter what. He dropped a grenade. He waited until the gafrans were close, then strafed around them, luring the beasts closer to the grenade as they were pushed back by the barrage. The timer ran out and the explosive ripped apart the gafrans in a dark eruption of blood and dark chunks that splattered against a far wall. Ivon rushed to Kannas, who was now literally being pulled in five different directions by the gafrans. One alighted on his chest and crunched down on his neck. A single series of bullets from Ivon's rifle struck the beast right at the eyes. It dropped off the pilot's chest, its sharp teeth leaving gauges in the neck guard.

"I have to get medic pack," Cory pointed at a bag lying between them and the girls. "Hurry." She tossed two of her grenades at the gafrans sailing down behind them, but the blasts only took out three, allowing the other four to swoop in, weaving and spiraling through the fire. Flit and Cory turned and ran, the gafrans not far behind. When he felt his senses tingle, Flit spun around and unleashed a continuous hail of lead, mowing down two of the creatures. The remaining pair angled away sharply, hissing and whining.

Cory reached her first aid kit and began rummaging through the pack for something, Flit couldn't tell what. He turned his attention to Kannas and Ivon, both of which were making for the entrance they had all used to enter the building.

Haro was beside him now, fusion cutters and claws retracted. "I am currently out of power," Haro said. "I need to recharge."

"Can't help you," Flit said. Surprised at how ragged his voice sounded, he tried to swallow and found his throat a tight, dry mass of flesh. Resisting the urge to choke, he replaced his empty clip and turned back to find Cory injecting something into the wound in her back.

"How bad is it?" Flit asked, fearing the worst.

"Not sure, I don't have eyes in the back of my head," Cory said with a half smile. "Painkillers are working." She straightened after a moment and hefted her rifle. "Come on, if I'm worse than I think we need to meet up with the other team and see if the field surgon can do something. In the meantime," she fired a full burst of rounds at the gafrans surrounding Nova, giving her time to replace clips. There weren't many left.

"Is there any way out?" Emily asked Decil, firing her rifle at a gafran swooping in. She was not a professional and had only learned to use a rifle…now, actually. And she was a poor shot to boot. Her cheek was scratched, her torso flaring with pain as if something was slithering through her intestine. She gulped in a breath of air and fired again. "_Decil!" _She screamed again.

Decil turned toward here from where he crrouched by Arabel and stepped over, just as a gafran descended with splayed claws.

Emily rushed in, swinging he rifle like a club, slamming its butt into the gafran's face. Flit ran up, firing at a gafran over her head. The first shook its head to clear the stars from the rifle blow and leapt at her, jaws open wide.

"Emily!" Flit screamed raising his rifle and pulling the trigger to useless effect—his last clip empty.

In a blur, she hurled the rifle into the creature's face, stepped back as the gafran landed, grabbed its head as it darted it forward to bite, and hurled it away. She took up the rifle again and fired, bullets ricocheting along the ground all about the gafran. Enough went through, the lizard convulsing, flinging its tail wildly as the lead punctured its organs. Drooling, the gafran crawled away, leaving a bloody smear in its wake.

"That was..impressive," Flit said, staring dumbly at Emily as she came up, panting hard.

"Didn't study martial arts for nothing you know."

"I think I remember another way out," Decil said, running up to the two.

Without waiting, the three of them joined the others and took off at the best run they could manage. Now the big gafrans swooped in, larger than people, one the size of a horse, its broad, violet wings spread wide. Corry and Nova pumped their fire at the larger beast, but it weaved with speed so amazing Flit wouldn't have believed possible for something so large.

A hail of saffron beam bolts flashed out of the darkness, raking across the flight of gafrans and sending them to the ground like so much black ash. A silver gafran, constructed of metal and slightly larger than the average living counterpart rushed from across the room out of a dark corridor, having smashed through the door. Several of its kind sallied in after it, beam emitters glowing beneath their visor lines, which lit up with a mechanical whine.

"Mecha!" Flit shouted.

"It's not much further," Decil cried.

They reached a side door and Nova used her last three grenades to blast it open. The group filed inside, Flit taking Emily's rifle in place of his own. Behind them, several more gafrans were flying in on silent wings, their metallic counterparts plodding after them, scattering the pack in all directions.

The group descended a flight of stairs, running as fast as they could, the silent gafrans not far behind, but wisely staying out their field of fire.

A door at the bottom of the stairs opened automatically, and Flit slammed into a large man barreling through the other end.

"Cinnamon!" Arabel shouted, leaping aside as Yurin L'Ciel flew past him, landing with a thud just in front of a surprised Arabel. The two stared at each other wordlessly.

"Arabel Zoi," Cinnamon Maugh said in surprise, raising a beam rifle to reclaim everyone's attention. "where—? Nevermind, we're being pursued by mechanoids, we lost them on the level above, so we need to-

-They're coming down now!" Arabel said, rushing to her side. "And live ones too!"

"Who are you?" Cory demanded, raising her near empty rifle at the group of bedraggled Vagans.

"I am Cinnamon Maugh, a rebel leader here."

Cory scowled. "I am a member of the Federation's special operations taskforce. We're here for the moon's gravity control."

"There really isn't any time here," protested Emily and Arabel at once, the sound of the stomping mechanoids now audible.

Cinnamon stepped close to Cory's pale face and whispered in her ear, "I am a Federation spy, I have a map leading to the core, please cooperate."

"I understand, lead the way—but not up the stairs."

A gafran descended, its tail crashing into Emily's chest. She landed with a thud, Flit by her side in an instant to unleash his final volley of fire into the gafran, which slunk away and fell near the stair. The second gafran descended, but a single emerald beam blast from one of Cinnamon's followers transformed it into a cloud of ash.

"We have to go up if we want to reach the core," Cinnamon said, pointing up at the ceiling with her pistol.

"No we don't," Decil said, "I know another way!"

Cinnamon leaned over at Decil. "Show us."

The clamor of mechanoids—a lot of mechanoids by the sound of it—came from the stairwell.

Not waiting another moment for further debate, the two group turned to flee, Flit picking Emily up best he could and carrying her after them. He stopped short on the way out, peering at the girl running amongst Cinnamon's rabble. Yurin!

* * *

The mechanoids as it turned out, didn't need a stair to reach the bottom. They just tore their way through the metal and dropped the last fifty feet, where they sprinted on with as much relentless speed as before. The combined saboteur party scattered as all fifteen mechanoids caught up and unleashed their beam machine guns.

Flit carried Emily back a few paces, she was still unconscious, adding to the myriad of growing worries, one of which was not being reduced to a pile of ash. He rounded a corner, Nova Omusa coming behind him quickly, half carrying half dragging Cory, who seemed to be losing her strength quickly. Arabel came running up, along with Decil, but a mechanoid stepped in between them and Arabel kept on running. What became of Decil, or more importantly, Yurin, Flit could not guess. His supreme concern was for Emily, who might have a shattered rib cage, and that might be restricting her breathing. He wished he could find a place where Cory could look over her, but it looked like he was going to lose her too, and everything they worked for. He scowled. Where was Haro? He looked to the side and found the green sphere not far behind, keeping close to the wall so he wouldn't be noticed. Good, so long as Haro survived, Flit would have a chance to send this whole place back where it sprang from.

As they reached an open hatchway, Flit turned back one last time to catch a glimpse of Yurin. The fear in the air had become such a part of him that he had numbed his senses. With a click of willpower, his senses activated to their full sensitivity. A wave of chill gripped him. His face ashen, the fear making his vision blur and indistinct, he swept his gaze over the fastly thinning crowd. Cinnamon Maugh and several others, one of whom was Decil, his presence bright and fearful, rushed into another tunnel. Flit saw Yurin, spinning this way and that, her dirty face white with fear, her forehead bleading. A gafran dashed past her, knocking her down.

Then Flit was forced to turn his head. He wished he knew exactly how to communicate telepathically with her, but Milias was the only one he could commune with, probably because he had spent more time with her.

_Live, Yurin. _He called, sending her words to him back, praying they would reach.

* * *

"We are in deep trouble," Ivon Alfenoa said conversationally, walking ahead of Kannas through a dark hall, the only light an auxiliary flashlight he had taken out of his Sylph Gundam.

"Ivon," Kannas said weakly, dragging himself along. "I need help, I can't keep up."

Ivon stared at him for a long moment, and then to Kannas' surprised start, Ivon hoisted Kannas' arm over his left shoulder. "Will this suffice."

"Yes. Th-thank you," Kannas said, sighing with relief as the stress of keeping his battered frame aloft eased a bit. "I wasn't expecting this much help."

"Don't think I'm doing this out of kindness. Paint me wrong and I will drop you." His eyes sparkled. "I don't like hearing weaklings nag all the time. It grinds away at me."

"Sorry, I should walk by myself."

"Good," Ivon let go of Kannas, who dropped to the floor with a groan of pain.

"Wha-what?" Kannas stammered, picking himself up. "What is wrong with you?"

Ivon frowned over his shoulder as he started walking again. "Have you ever tried to find someone else to contend with, and always found yourself looking down?"

"I don't think I understand." Kannas said, remembering that his shoulder was bruised when he attempted to rub it—no, his whole _body _was sore.

"I thought as not." They continued on in silence for a minute, then Ivon stopped and began to look up something on his PDA.

"What about the others?" Asked Kannas, hobbling over to the brown haired pilot, using his rifle butt as a makeshift cane or crutch, he was stooped enough for it to work, if perhaps not comfortably.

"We can't help them with no ammo and you wounded," Ivon replied. "I am locating the third team now. They seem to have run into a pair of giant lizards like we encountered before following the orphans. Lost several members before bringing the nasty things down. They are retreating to their _Darwin Stealth_. If we hurry, we can make it out with them. It's going to be hard, as getting back up from here is going to be a challenge."

"But what about our team?" Kannas asked, not wanting to hear the answer, he closed his eyes.

"We will hope for their safety and successful completion of the mission. It would serve as a grand distraction, no?"

"Then I guess we move on," Kannas said with a sigh.

"You seem to be disappointed. Why? Your views with Asuno seem to clash at every turn." Ivon frowned in thought, then raised a finger with a knowing smile. "Are you antagonizing him on purpose?"

"What!?" Kannas looked up sharply, a scowl forming on his lips, "Why are you saying that at a time like this? I-why-I wouldn't make up these worldviews unless I meant them!"

"Ah," Ivon raised a finger, "but you are not doing anything about it, are you? Flit Asuno will try to destroy the air purification plants. Whether that issue will be corrected in time to save the populace is a question I cannot answer. And we shall win the war and the Federation will come up with a new way to start systematically killing people and pass it off as an accident."

"So? What does that have to do with me right now?" Kannas asked, blinking in confusion. "Why do you even _care?_"

"Why indeed, a question you should ask yourself. I singled you out from the others because I want to hear your answer, Kannas Westmorland." Ivon turned around and started walking again. "The path we are walking will give Flit Asuno a very small chance of surviving. If he does, he will hate the Vagan with renewed passion. You are his cabin mate, his wingmate and a fellow soldier. I am not blind that on some level, you care about your comrade."

"Will you be satisfied that his potential menace is quenched? Or will your sense of loyalty prevail and will you go back? More so, will this loyalty reflect your ultimate subservience with the Federation, or will you take matters into your own hands, and try to change this war?"

"What does _any _of this matter to you?!" Kannas shouted angrily.

"My.._family.._Cedrick Fondor is unlikely to marry, and the chance of his family continuing the tradition of controlling the Federation will crumble. The Fondors created the Twin Pillar Federation, and they will do anything to make certain that we remain in control. I will probably have to step in as the next candidate. The family will let that death warrant loose to kill me otherwise."

"Murdering those mechanics was your fault," Kannas spat.

"Originally I did it to tarnish their hopes of using me as a political sacrifice. Now it is the very way they are ensuring I do as they say. Funny isn't it? The world has a sense of irony."

* * *

"Did you find a way out of here, Arabel?" Nova Omusa asked, standing by the closed access hatch to the narrow hallway they had taken refuge in to escape the mechanized gafrans. The silver armored machines were crunching just outside the door, searching for them. When they found the group, there was little hope of them surviving.

Arable walked up quietly from the other end of the hall, "It leads further north to another hatchway."

"What about Emily?" Flit asked, demanding Cory return her attention to her patient.

"It's a pulmonary contusion—the lunges were bruised from the impact. I don't think the ribs punctured her lunges, but they _are _broken. She has to be careful. When she wakes up."

"Why hasn't-

-a coma. I don't-we don't have time to stand here," Cory said.

"Agreed, it's time to go, injuries are better than being reduced to ash. It must be painful to be incinerated."

"That's nice Nova," Flit growled, gingerly picking Emily up. "I don't know if I can carry her and run all the way to the core."

"_We, _are getting out of here," Cory said, gesturing for Arabel to lead the way, and injected another two painkillers into her back.

* * *

They came out of a northern hatch a stone's throw from their original hiding place—in time to see the gafrans blast open the door with their claws and stalk through.

"They're probably going to set up an ambush. I don't see the other ones," stated Flit, turning this way and that.

He cast his senses out, trying to get a feel for any enemy in the area, but there was a primal fear pulsing from everywhere, not generally close, but not generally far, either. What was worse, he had come to realize that machines were very hard to sense with his powers. They didn't cause him to sense impending danger unless they were about to attack or were an explosive weapon like a mine or rocket.

Arabel led them to a small crevasse barely large enough for Flit to squeeze inside with Emily. That was when he felt the gafrans training its sensors on him from behind. Nova was faster, having acted as vanguard, opened up with the last few round left in her machinegun. The metallic enemy launched itself from an indention in the ceiling, beam machinegun blazing.

Nova reached the crevasse, then Cory.

"Hurry, they can squeeze through!" Arabel yelled.

Flit was about to turn the corner with Arabel when he realized Cory wasn't following. He spun around, finding her still at the entrance of the tunnel, her last grenade in hand, staring at the wall above intently. After a moment, she started scaling, and began looking for a place to put the grenade. The mechanoid started to chip away at the crevasse entrance with its machinegun, vaporizing one chunk of rock at a time. With a flash from its visor, it rushed in—Cory hurled herself away from the wall as the grenade detonated.

Flit placed Emily on the ground, ignoring her as she groaned his name and tried to reach for him. He ran down the tunnel and into the billowing cloud of dust. The rock above creaked and groaned. Cory was struggling to get up, the concussion having winded her. Flit watched pieces of sharp stone fall slowly in front of his face; he reached for her, but a hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back. A roar filled the air and knocked him off his feet with a blast of air.

The rumbling ceased. Flit turned to find Nova lying just behind him, her hand still clutching his elbow. She looked up with a pained expression and got to her knees.

Flit turned back around and rushed to the pile of fallen stones. The mechanoid was crushed beneath untold tons of rock, though with the shifting stones, he felt that it would eventually extricate itself, if the fault in the ceiling was not bad enough that the shifted rocks would ruin all support and allow even more rubble to fall. Cory lay at the bottom of the pile, her legs trapped beneath the rubble.

Flit felt his heart stop. His mother flashed into his vision, superimposed upon Cory's prostrate form, face burnt by the explosion that tore the rock from the ceiling.

"Flit," Cory said weakly. "Get going. I've done my part."

"No!" Flit yelled in her face. "I'll stay here even if I have to die," he grabbed at the rubble and tried to force it to move. The stones began to rattle and shift as the gafran tried to get itself out of its stone prison.

"Flit! Go!"

"You are not dying again, I won't let you!" He snarled, finally freeing her legs. "Come on, _get up!"_

"Get a grip Flit Asuno," Cory yelled, her voice echoing hollowing in the small space, "you have to go."

"Haro's gone," Flit said absently, "but you' won't be left behind. I promise."

"Flit," Cory said with a groan, "I was lying about the wound. It's bad. I don't think I could do anything but slow you down. It's going to get out in a minute!" She pulled out a grenade she had taken from Emily. "I'll make sure they don't get a chance to follow."

"NO!" He screamed, grabbing her and trying to haul her up even as her thumb pressed the detonator.

Cory tried to slap him, but barely got her hand up. "I'm sorry Flit. Tell Milias I did my share this time." She pushed him back.

To Flit's surprise, Emily grabbed him and began to pull him away. "Flit, we have to go. Cory, we'll never forget you, thank you."

"Don't say anymore, go," as Cory spoke, a piece of rock tumbled down from the pile and revealed the machine's visor line, which lit up the threesome in an unearthly glow.

The light sent flashes of the larger, more deadly Gafran tearing into his mind, and he didn't realize he was screaming, until Emily cupped his mouth and Nova yanked both of them away.

Cory smiled at him, releasing her thumb from the trigger, and vanished in the white hot burst of light.

* * *

Yurin L'Ciel paused in the darkness and fell to her knees, crying out in pain as her heart seemed to catch on fire and pump burning blood into her brain. her old burn scars burned in pain. How long it lasted she didn't know, but when she awoke she found herself scraped from thrashing on the ground. She stood, shakily, and saw an image of a woman with blue eyes trapped beneath a fallen pillar. Her vision was blurred with tears, yet she wasn't crying herself.

* * *

Yark Dole Briar felt a pulse of agony that would have sent him to the floor were he not already on his knees. Flit Asuno! The pulsation was clear, and filled with white-hot fury.


	25. Chapter 24 Yurin L'Ciel

_**Chapter Twenty Four Yurin L'Ciel**_

* * *

**Earth surface, somewhere in North America, present day**

The stars were out now, twinkling in the thousands overhead for as far as the eye could see. Now and then a mass of tableland or rock face would break the landscape, along with the giant, burned husk of a horned mobile suit that was always there, a sentinel over his home day and night.

The cold wind tickled his nose, so he turned away and sat down by the fire once again, rubbing his shoulders. "Grandpa, is this the part of the story where you landed the Gundam on Earth?"

"_No,_ I already told you that. How could it be the same time? This was my first journey to Mars, not the second. Your father wasn't even born yet. Now stay still, you're too hyper."

"But you won't finish." He waited. "Grandpa?"

His grandfather took a sip of coffee and looked out at the blackened remains of the Gundam sadly. "I'll finish the story, but this is the last time you get ice cream after dark!"

The grandfather fiddled with the mechanic's goggles on his forhead and drained the last of his coffee. "It's bitter, sometimes I wonder if the Earth will ever heal." The older man's eyes roved over the barran desertscape. "Maybe I have more in common with the Earth than anyone alive, I know I do, at after that day...

* * *

**February 27****th****, AG118-Mars Sphere Second Moon**

Flit Asuno, Emily Amonde, and Nova Omusa stumbled through the darkness, their helmet lights illuminating the hallway in front of them, a wide, but low passage with stalactites growing down like massive teeth.

His vision was blurred from pain and rage, and as Flit Asuno ran, he cursed the loss of Haro. If only he could get that machine, he would be able to avenge Onette Cory's—no—_everyone's _deaths once and for all. So long as the little robot managed to find a way to destroy the air purification plants for good, which was a big if, but Flit was willing to take an "if" over "never" anyday.

They rounded a corner, Flit taking hold of Emily as he helped her down a series of steep steps, trying not to cringe at the pain of his wounded hand and weakened leg. Nova came alongside and helped the two to the bottom, a clammy, damp chamber with droplets of water falling through the ceiling's cracks.

There was a whirring noise, and Haro appeared from a side passage, eyes blinking in the darkness. "Ensign, I have returned," the robot said hurriedly, coming to a stop in front of him.

"How did you find us?" Flit asked, amazed at his good fortune.

"The mechanoids did not notice me, and I have been tracking you through another route. The underlevels appear to be in a sort of chaos. I noticed a number of unusual-

-this can wait," Nova said. "Emily is injured and you must get that hand treated," she said to Flit, who nodded as the injury throbbed from underneath its bandage. The three started off again, deeper into the dark corridors.

"How rude," Haro said to himself in agitation, moving on after them, his levitator whining with the effort.

Flit walked another four paces when he realized something. "Where is Arabel?!"

"Here!" A voice called. Arabel Zoi hurried down the slope and skidded to a stop beside Haro. "I found a shortcut to an old elevator shaft that leads straight up into the outer shell. We can get away much faster without using a ship."

"It may be our only chance," Nova said. "But what about Kannas and Ivon?"

"They will have to find a way out on their own," Flit said dourly, taking hold of Emily as she tottered. "Can you breathe?"

"A little, but I don't have much strength left."

"We will make it," Arabel said helpfully. "Follow," he started off, Flit, Emily, and Nova trailing behind, Haro struggling to keep up with his failing levitator. "Slow down! I am an irreplacable member of this unit!"

* * *

"Decil Galette," Yurin L'Ciel hissed under her breath, pressing herself against the wall as Cinnamon Maugh's bedraggled followers marched through the halls. They had lost track of her during the chaos, and she didn't plan on assisting them one bit longer.

She prayed Decil was of a similar opinion.

"Do you know the way out?" Decil asked.

"Do you?" She countered, stepping into an alcove as a light passed by from one of the rebels, illuminating the marmoreal wall behind her.

Decil ducked under the beam and waited for it to pass overhead. "Yeah."

"First I need to retrace my steps, Abigel needs my help." She sent her powers flying out. Amplified by Decil's presence, she could sense the little girl's fear pulsing some distance away on an upper level.

"Hey, I remember that girl," Decil said, his own senses training in. "She was part of my group. Always reminded me of Zeheart."

"Who?"

"My little brother, but I think he got put in cold sleep too. Let's go save her!"

Surprised—and suspicious at Decil's enthusiasm, Yurin slipped from the alcove and started off with Decil leading the way. She kept her senses peeled for any form of trickery as she clutched her burning arm. This child, if there ever was someone she wanted to kill, it was him—ten times over. But Abigel first.

* * *

The flashes of beam fire could be seen from the catwalks of sleeping block 47, pinpoints of blue and emerald light moving down, deep to the roots of the facility. Several starving underlevel dwellers screamed as a pair of mechanized gafrans leapt from block 46's catwalk, firing their machineguns to blast away five targets before anyone could make a move. The remaining stragelers were herded down the catwalk as the mechanoids stomped after them, tails swinging from side to side, knocking anyone over the edge stupid enough to try and slip passed them.

Several of the sleeping chambers had been opened already, though thankfully none of the occupants had been dragged out and killed by their would-be consumers. The pods began to close automatically and reseal, but one stopped suddenly as a hand groped for the controls and stopped the hatch with thier hand.

* * *

Kannas Westmorland paused as he stared up at the Vagan cargo ship sitting idle inside the hanger. Workers were moving white boxes up its lowered gangplank.

"_That's _our way out?"

"Was our way in, don't you recall?"

"Yes but there weren't any Vagans around that time. I'm not sure I can fight with my bare fists. Have you _seen _what their beam weapons can do to people?"

"I saw. Which is why you follow my lead." With that, Ivon Alfenoa slipped into the hanger and started moving carefully toward the right-hand side of the hanger, where a large number of crates and cylindrical canisters either awaited departure or unpacking. He fiddled with a barrel figuring out how it worked, then rolled it while no one was watching to the filled containers and slipped inside.

Kannas frowned. How was he seriously supposed to do that without getting caught? Ivon wasn't battered half to death and still had some semblance of mobility. With little choice in the matter though, Kannas plucked up his courage and slipped into the hanger bay, praying the workers would not notice his presence.

* * *

"So you are the Prime Minister's personal assistant. Strange that you would undertake such a precarious mission of questionable purpose all by yourself." Zoroaster Zara stood imperiously over Amadis Largo sitting on his knees, arms held firmly at his sides by the mechanoid.

"I came to learn more about the Mars Sphere. The Supreme Overlord was always cryptic about the circumstances-

-Circumstances?" Zara scoffed, raising his voice. He placed his arms behind his back. "I think the circumstances are perfectly clear, Amadis Largo! Do you feel a touch of pride at the success of your 'terraforming project'?"

"That was not the Prime Minister's doing," Amadis said quickly. "It was a rogue element in our government-

-Like Cleansing was a 'rogue element'? Overlord Ezelcant certainly found out how you treated that. Scooted it under the rug your government did, and happily declared we were responsible. For shame if you think I will believe that rubbish, fool."

"Zoroaster," Yark Dole Briar said, jerking his head up from a holoscreen projected from his mask. "I believe I know where Flit Asuno is going."

"Good," Zara said. He looked to Yark Dole as the shrouded masked man turned to leave. "Do not allow them to escape."

"Wait! They're only pilots! Please be reasonable, Zoroaster Zara. There is much I can do to bargain with you, don't pass up this-

-you do not control the Federation politicians and their wiles, Mr. Largo," Zara said with a wave of his hand. "You are hardly worth keeping alive. You will however, tell us all you know, as will your friends. Priest Briar has helpfully softened your mind a little, now one such as I can begin picking it for useful information."

Amadis' brown skin began to turn pale, and he struggled desperately against the iron grip of the mechanoid guard. "Stop!"

Zara placed his hands over Amadis' head and took hold of the man's consciousness. It was a difficult maneuver that acted as a truth serum substitute. By the time Amadis was under his control, the man would be happy to answer any questions asked up him.

"Zoroaster, the SCS emissary wishes to speak with you," a guard's voice issued from Zara's mask. "What shall I tell him?"

"What does he want?" Zara asked. "Give me details."

"He states that that since the riot has come under control, he would like to return to his fleet. They are due to depart immediately. I get the impression he does not like the presence of the Federation vessels."

"Have you located them? They may be inclined to remain longer if we destroy the interlopers."

"We cannot use proper scanners right now Zoroaster, there is simply too much interference coming up from the planet."

"Then the enemy cannot sense the Sarapin fleet. Tell Sinfreid that he should have no fear."

"Of course, Zoroaster." The guard disconnected, leaving Zoroaster alone in the impounding grounds to interrogate Amadis Largo.

Soft, almost imperceptible footsteps drew his attention to someone approaching from behind. The presence dwarfed his own like an ocean floodtide under a full moon, and he spun quickly, halo flashing as his body erupted in a tremor of nervous energy.

"My, things seem to be in an uproar. I fall asleep for just a little while and the whole place goes to the cannibals. Tsk tsk—Zara was it?" Issishar Ezelcant stepped forward on long, graceful legs, coming to kneel beside Zara. She glanced sidelong with one, big crimson eye at Amadis and smiled slightly. "An interrogation? How quaint. But that will have to hold off for the moment, Zoroaster."

"How, how did you esca-who released you?" Zara stammered, standing up.

Issishar stood quickly, her face inches from his, eyes boring into his with intensity. "Not on your orders I imagine. Was the Thought Panner fun? It's great what it can do, see. It softens the brain up like one X-Rounder does to a victim before another interrogates them. Kind of like _now"-_her hand grabbed Zara's chin, and he screamed as the full brunt of Issishar's superior Extrasensor powers drilled into his mind.

"Time to catch up on the news."

* * *

Emily leaned her head on Flit's shoulder, her breathing had grown more and more shallow with each passing minute as the cargo elevator shot up from the underlevels to the moon's outer shell.

Nova held Emily's hand, her brow furrowed. "She's getting cold."

"Flit, are you mad at me?" Emily asked weakly, staring up at him vacantly.

"_Mad?" _He asked in disbelief. He looked to Nova, who was staring at him as well.

"Well? Are you?" Nova asked, tilting her head slightly. "You might have been able to continue the mission if it weren't for Emily. Isn't your goal important to you?"

"How could—I never complained did I?"

"Not complaining doesn't always mean you are ok with a situation," Nova said, dropping her eyes. "Sometimes it's the opposite. Do you love Emily?"

"Nova," Emily said, trying to crack a smile. "This isn't your job."

"Well he better let you know soon, or it might be too late, Emily." Nova gently touched Emily's cheek. "I'm not a physician, so I cannot give you any advice. But you look weak."

"She's going to be fine," Flit said with a determined frown. He turned Emily and locked gazes, "You _will _make it back to the ship, Emily. Promise me."

"I promise," she said closing her eyes. "If you promise we can go back to Torrian together," she gave him the slyest smile she could manage. "Like you promised the first time."

Flit stopped her hand as it rose weakly to slap his face, and pressed her cool palm against his cheek. "It's a promise. We'll go back together."

The lift stopped slowly without the faintest hint of a jerk. The doors slid open, and a presence locked onto Flit Asuno like a pair of lasers. Flit looked up. Standing on the other side of the doors, across the hall and flanked by a pair of darkly armored mechanoids was a priest in black cowl and mask. He strode forward, brandishing a beam gun.

"Yark Dole Briar!"

"Flit Asuno, it is a pleasure to finally meet you once again." Yark raised the gun. "On Fardain I asked you to contemplate the corruption of the Federation. Now that you have seen the disparity of our plight, I believe it is time for an answer."

* * *

Yurin L'Ciel flew down the halls, Decil at her side. They were close, so close. A living gafran slithered past, latching onto the ceiling with its sharp claws, but it was a young one and made no move to attack.

There were voices coming from all over the place, but the echoes were confusing and misleading. Decil seemed less affected and rounded a corner quickly without warning, forcing Yurin to skid to a stop and run back after him. Was he trying to abandon her? If so than good riddance, there was no real plan in mind to deal with him after she found Abigel anyway.

A light appeared in the distance, coming from a cooking furnace on the ground.

Yurin crept closer, squinting into the shadows around the firelight. She noticed Decil, slowly stalking along the rim of the semi-circular wall toward Abigel, who lay bound and foot to a pipe sticking out of the wall.

"I say we eat her," a gruff, female voice said. "I can't keep up my resistance without food."

"I'm not going to die here either," another female voice said.

"Hold on, we're all going to die of disease anyway," a deep, almost guttural male voice said loudly.

"What does it matter?" The gruff woman called angrily. "The government doesn't care."

"They don't have food either," a male voice responded, this one new, "which makes the whole situation even more deplorable. We eat her or find someone here to eat!"

"Isn't there anything else we can do?" A woman asked desperately. "I can't go through with-

-you know you can. We haven't eaten in weeks. I'm surprised any of you aren't dead already."

"But if we searched the-

-There. Is. Nothing. TO. EAT." The gruff woman yelled, her voice rising with each word.

Yurin glanced at Decil to find that Abigel was free and stumbling after him, her legs apparently numbed after being bound for so long.

She crept backward, drawing out the pistol she had wisely kept hidden. There were too many armed rebels with Cinnamon, but right now the odds were slightly more even and she felt she could take her foes down with the limited charge of her beam gun.

Abigel accidentally kicked a pebble.

"Do you even _know _how to—what was that?"

"Just a vampire, I saw a pack of them around here."

"Oh, let's eat them," one of the female voices said excitedly.

"And kill ourselves on the bacteria. No thanks," another voice admonished derisively. "You realize they bathe in their _own piss_."

Yurin raised her gun and debated whether or not to fire. The dark was no damper on her aim, and the halo was already concentrated on that ravenous mass of hunger that was the gruff voiced-woman. This would put them out of their misery, but somehow that felt wrong. They were pitiful it was true. If she escaped with Abigel, they would find someone else to murder for _food. _She remembered that the entire underlevels and the whole of the Vagan populace were already approaching a similar plight. Killing these poor fools now wouldn't do any good, not in the long run.

She stowed the weapon and backed away, rushing into the darkness. By the time she caught up to Decil and Abigel, enraged voices were crying out behind her. She looked back to see them coming with flashlights illuminating the tunnel walls. They were following. Yurin spun and took aim, the green halo rippled and she fired off three successive shots. Three screams of agony sent chills up Yurin's spine, forcing her to turn tail and run after Decil and Abigel.

Three pulsations raced up her spine: all familiar. The first two simmered with resentment or rage, Yark and Flit. A third blast was one of pain and disbelief, it reminded her of Zoroaster Zara's presence, although she didn't know him enough to be sure. The X-Rounder sensations distracted her, causing her to slow to a trot even with the shouts coming up from behind.

_I believe it is time for an answer, _Yark's voice trailed into her mind.

Decil seemed likewise affected. _Ms. Violet, isn't that Yark?_

_Yes it is. I'm going to take Abigel to the temple, please slow down. _She would return to these forsaken underlevels for the other children later. For now, one was going to have to suffice.

Another pulse of danger. Flit was in trouble, but not just him…_Emily?! _

Knowing she would have to stop running in order to concentrate, Yurin turned back and took a long, deep breath and set her teeth together so they wouldn't chatter. "Decil! Abigel, keep running! The exit isn't far! Go to the temple and tell them I sent you!"

* * *

"Priest Briar!" Arabel Zoi yelled, running out from behind Nova. "Please let us through, we're only trying to get out of here!"

"Arabel Zoi," Yark said, stepping forward. "I heard you were among the rebels, that was a surprise to me. Why? Stand aside now and I will vouch for you. Otherwise you are an enemy of Vagan. Remember that you are Geera Zoi's son. Act accordingly."

Flit glowered at the masked priest, holding Emily while Nova moved forward with her useless rifle in the best bluff she could manage.

"One of them is hurt, Yark Dole. Please don't stop us," Arabel said again, spreading his arms. "The real one responsible is Cinnamon Maugh, she's a Federation spy. She is trying to reach the core right now!"

"We will deal with her, have no fear," Yark Dole said. Suddenly he stopped and began muttering to himself, dropping his gun.

"Back," Nova hissed, grabbing Arabel and dragging him inside the elevator again. The doors started to close shut.

"Stop if you want to live!" Yark shouted bringing his gun up and leveling it off at Flit's head as he snarled at Yark with defiant, burning eyes. "I'll remove one less future evil from the Federation ranks," he muttered. Suddenly a spectral version of Yurin L'Ciel appeared in front of him, and wrapped her arms around Flit and Emily protectively.

"Move aside Yurin," commanded Yark, trying to force her projection away.

Yurin looked over her shoulder, violet eyes glowing with defiance, "Not for my own life. You cannot touch them, Yark."

* * *

Yurin almost looked up as Abigel's kidnappers charged out of the darkness, their beam weapons raised to her head, glowing like stars. She had to hurry while she had to while there was still time.

"_Put your gun down_—

* * *

—_Yark Dole Briar!_" Yurin's voice bellowed in his head. Yark watched his hands disobey and release his hold on the weapon as the elevator whisked Flit Asuno out of reach.

* * *

**Earth Sphere the Moon, Tycho Crater Base, Adamantine**

Inside Adamantine's control room, An grams stood with his multi-horned commander's mask on his head, letting it project all sorts of information on five separate holoscreens. The battle was raging just as he predicted it would. Kindle was no fool of course, he realized the simple, almost idiotic plan An Grams had formulated from Medel Zant's notes.

Problem was with stupid plans, was that people tended to over estimate them.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Captain Adams Tinel watched the _Mirage _and green-hulled _Deva _flash down into the crater, pumping fire into the shield generators, which had begun to glow and produce small, thin shield barriers around themselves.

"Admiral," Adams said to Kindle across the viewscreen, "You must retreat at once, this is a trap."

Kindle nodded in what appeared to be slight exasperation. "Adams I have half the armada complaining, I don't have time for you all. This is a trap yes—a very stupid one. Get your ship prepped and down here. The nuclear weapons will be arriving soon, we will cover the crater here, you will spearhead the attack on Fardain." Kindle cut the transmission, leaving Adams to seethe in rage.

* * *

Without warning, each of the Vagan shield generators began to quickly generate a glowing crystalline hexagon panel that appeared to be made of a lustrous blue diamond. One panel became two, then four, then six, then twelve—moving faster and faster until Woolf Enneacle and Milias Alloy on the outer slope of the crater only had had to turn their eyes from their opponents for two seconds before the shield had completely restored itself.

Woolf growled in rage and sent his G-Exes back flipping away from a full chest cannon blast from the grey Baqto in front of him. The machine lit its visor line and charged, beam machineguns blazing. He swept forward, slashing with his beam longsaber, only for the Baqto to glow with a yellow light for an instant as the beam connected, reducing it to a display of pyrotechnics, scattering rainbow-hued particles around the Vagan machine.

"That anti-beam coating," Woolf cursed, drawing back near the Titus, which was pumping a cyclone of DODS rifle blasts at a Defurse, which was proving to be quite the fast, deadly opponent, slaloming along the slope with incredible ease, its thruster panels unleashing a wave of violet light. It's giant cannon glowed and unleashed a huge, pulsing beam, but Milias sent the Titus soaring above the blast, firing the red and white Gundam's Gatling cannons.

"At least we managed to draw them outside the shield," Milias cried, slamming into the Defurse' crossed beam sabers as it catapulted at her off its two, powerful legs.

"Always looking on the bright side," Woolf laughed, rushing up in a white blur to slice off one of the Defurse's arms—it blocked the saber blow with its own giant blade and kicked the G-Exes back toward Tycho's slope.

Woolf dodged a series of beam blasts from the Baqto and rushed back in at the Defurse, hammering it with DODS rifle blasts. "Let's take out the Baqto first, Milias. It looks like you need help here and I can't concentrate with that Baqto taking potshots all day."

"I never asked for help-aaah," Milias screamed as the Defurse lunged at her, kneeing the Gundam back, despite its activated shoulder beam spikes. The Gundam landed in a cloud of dust. As the Baqto and Defurse charged in, the G-Exes swept down, firing beam blasts at the Defurse before sweeping its beam longsaber out to cut off the Baqto's saber arm as it charged in.

"All right, I give," Milias said, activating the Titus' DODS fists. "Let's pummel him."

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

"I don't understand," Adams thought to himself as he watched the battle playing out behind the shield as best he could. In theory, trapping the enemy inside the shield was a sound move, so long as something like Fardain and all its ships were present within its confines to destroy Kindle's forces.

But they weren't. Fardain was outside, protected by its own individual shield and perhaps one or two ship escorts—excluding its weapons platforms and jamming cones. How then did the enemy commander expect to destroy Kindle's forces? From the reports Adams was getting, the Baqto and Defurse were presenting a formidable obstacle. There were quite a few more shield generators now than there had been when the enemy first set up the shield, so Adams could only figure there were at least thirty Defurse and maybe twice as many Baqto, disregarding the small number that the Federation had managed to take down.

And it also appeared the Vagans did not worry about a loss of carbon supply to fuel the shield, given their…lack of defense for the mine.

Even as the thought raced through his head, he realized the truth at last.

* * *

The Federation dueled fiercly with the generator defensive units, shining yellow beam cannon blasts from the Defurse units cutting away at the _Darwins _one by one. The carbon mine lay far below, a smoldering wreckage.

From inside Adamantine's control center, An Grams reached for the holobutton and pressed the trigger—With a screech of metal, the carbon mine fell back like a crumbling shell, allowing a giant, cylindrical missile pod to rise up above the twisted metal of its hiding place and open its tubes. No less than twenty fusion bomb touting warheads erupted from its interior in a blinding flash of light.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Adams and his crew covered their eyes as the blinding flash wiped the fleet from their eyes. Breaking the light apart, the crystal barrier seemed to glow, and shimmer in five million colors for the briefest of moments. When the light faded, All Adams could see through the shield was the glowing, smoldering remains of shrapnel.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

Yurin L'Ciel opened her eyes for a brief two seconds of relief as she sensed Yark dropping his weapon. Flit was safe, now for her.

"Yurin!" Abigel's voice bounced off the stone walls. "Ms. Yurin!"

With a flash of warning, Yurin looked up to find two more people rushing past her, while the other three remained, pointing their rifles at her with the stun setting—she assumed, considering what they wanted.

"Wait!" Yurin stood up quickly and blocked the two underlevel dwellers. She wished she had sensed these two, but there was no getting around that now. "I cannot allow you to take these children. There has to be a better way than this."

"She's a priestess," one of the figures said, the gruff woman.

"We don't want no trouble with a priestess," another one of the figures said, a scrawny, half-starved looking girl about Yurin's own age.

"Stand aside, girl, we'll only get the rugrats," the third one said, the guttural voiced man, pale, with startling blue eyes and locks of pale green hair. This one raised a beam rifle and leveled it off to fire over Yurin's shoulder.

"Don't you have any sense of dignity?!" Yurin demanded, welling up her senses. None of them were X-Rounders, but it somehow gave her confidence to be projecting all her strength. Perhaps Decil would help-

-_Take her to the temple, Now! _She yelled. Decil seemed to comply, as there was a scuffling sound with Abi's muffled cries, followed by silence.

* * *

**Earth Sphere the Moon, Adamantine**

An Grams smiled grimly at his handiwork as the Federation remains plummeted to the bottom of the crater. He could have used Kratos' beam capabilities, but that would have liquefied the crystal and made much of it structurally unstable to resist a heavy bombardment of explosive weapons, like Federation Shipsinker missiles or even suicidal attacks from _Darwins. _This way allowed him to keep Kratos a strong barrier for later use. Even as he thought this, the missile launcher spun one hundred and eighty degrees, now facing back toward the supply tunnels running beneath the crater.

And now the Federation forces still in the tunnels were going to disappear as well.

"Lord Grams," a subaltern, said, coming to kneel before him, arm crossed over his chest. "A transmission from Mars—Zul Dahala is preparing to launch."

"Excellent," An Grams said with a satisfied smile. Below, the explosion from the second volley of fusion bombs blew away the automated missile launcher in a giant, glowing plume of fiery plasma, the forces beneath the surface shared a similar doom.

"Prepare Kratos to fire. Tell our forces to activate their shield systems and go to cloak. Their target is the Forge Zone shipyards."

* * *

**February 28****th****, AG118-Mars Sphere, Second Moon**

"You never told me this was part of your plan!" Yelled Kannas as Ivon fired another blast from his stolen beam rifle, striking an armored soldier in the chest. The Vagan suit seemed to absorb most of the blast, flaking off like a pile of ashes, leaving the soldier exposed with his uniform, not enough to block a pulsing beam. Ivon fired again, incinerating the man. The rifle whined and powered down, indicating on a gauge that it required a new power pack, which Ivon did not have.

"Blast it all."

"Ivon!"

"What? Can you not see I'm lamenting the loss of our only effective weapon?"

"I don't know how to pilot this _Thing!" _Kannas shouted as the Vagan transport dove through a series of twisting corridors.

"Oh blast it all. Do I have to do everything?" Ivon leapt into a copilot's seat, or stumbled rather—Kannas made a sudden tight turn to the right to avoid another ship.

A speaker opened up on the dashboard, a man's voice speaking frantically in Vagan.

"Uh, Zuala hikci bi?" Said Ivon tentatively.

"The infiltrators!" The voice said, now understandable. "Halt at once and submit to boarding, or you will be destroyed on sight!"

"I liked it better when we couldn't understand him," Kannas wailed as the freighter slammed into a low hanging observation catwalk and started spinning out of control.

* * *

"Dignity?" The guttural man asked in disbelief. "You call what your kind has done _dignified? _You left us here to rot!"

"He's right," the gruff woman said, stepping forward with eyes flickering with rage, "Kill her and find the other two before they get away!"

"I have a better idea!" Yurin shouted before the other two silent beggars moved passed her. She wished she had been able to use her gun, but then Flit and Emily—she shook her head to clear it and swallowed, praying her voice would not tremble. "You can't eat those children, their lives are in my care. If you have to eat someone, then it should be me."

"You?" The gruff woman snorted. "You're offering yourself? Are you mad?"

"If we eat her the priests will start looking! They'll kill everyone around here!" The younger girl spoke up.

"Quiet," the older woman snapped. "We haven't decided yet."

"They're escaping," one of the runners said, a younger man. "What do we do?"

"You don't have to chase them if you take me," Yurin insisted, voice starting to tremble. She kicked the gun at her feet to the gruff woman. "Go, use the stun setting on my own pistol if you like irony."

For a long moment, she stared into the eyes of the man, who seemed to be a leader of sorts among them. "You said we priests haven't pulled our weight, I agree. That's why I want those children to get back to the temple safely. If we pull together, and share ourselves rather than turn on each other, we can make it through this. I know what it's like to be hungry and dying, but that doesn't excuse this! I won't struggle if you promise to leave them be!"

"Save your preaching," the gruff woman put pressure on the trigger of her rifle, "Ryart, I'm going to take bake this one right here."

The man named Ryart knocked the rifle away with his own. "Enough."

"You're going to starve to death because of a high-minded speech?!" The gruff woman shouted in disbelief, despair creeping into her voice. "_I can't do that_."

"Calm down, we'll find a way. Girl, what about your temple? Is there any food there at all?"

"I don't know if they will even let the children inside. They don't have much left either, but we are doing all we can! If you come by tomorrow, near the steep side of the temple I'll see what I can bring." Her hands clawed at the place where her satchel of food should have been, but that was long lost somewhere in the depths, thanks to Cinnamon Maugh's crew.

A growing sense of foreboding washed over her, and she felt that there were other places she needed to be.

With an abrupt nodd with his head, Ryart waved her on. Not pausing to see if they would change their minds and shoot her anyway, Yurin turned around and fled into the relative safety the shadows now offered.

* * *

The elevator opened onto a wide hanger where eight unusual ships sat in neat rows. Flit and Nova helped Emily out of the elevator, while Arabel became distracted by a contingent of strange men in black armored suits and blue sashes. They had a man with a silver cape in their center, making for one of the ships as it slowly rose up and lumbered over the first row of vessels toward the approaching individuals.

"Who are they?" Arabel asked.

"No idea," Flit said, "Vagans are all the same to me. Come on, the place where we hid the mobile suits isn't far." They slipped out of the elevator and made for a hatch along the left-hand wall, thankfully concealed by a stand of crates.

It wasn't long, and they were rushing down the glowing paneled corridors again, eyes peeled toward the ceiling for any sign of the mecha guards. Haro finally lost his levitator and began to roll, Flit picked him up, determined not to lose the valuable sphere again.

"Haro, are you still punched into the air filtration system?"

"It is not a filtration system, it is a purification facility," Haro corrected.

"Can you hack into the other stations?"

"Affirmative, but it may take time."

"Start now, and do it quick as you can, we're running out of time here." He glanced at Emily, who was stumbling along. He stopped her and picked her up, his own strength beginning to fail.

Not long after, they reached the mobile suits without incident, Flit moving into the Gundam's cockpit, depositing Emily into the copilot's seat. She muttered a thank you and lay back, finally able to find some sense of security behind the strong armor of the AGE-1.

"What do we do about Ivon's Sylph?" Nova asked, standing at the foot of the Starks.

"Take it, leave the Genoace behind, they are not worth it," Flit instructed.

Nova nodded and bid her brown machine goodbye before floating over to the emerald Gundam, Arabel not far behind.

Flit turned to the birdlime camouflage and blew it open with a pair of missiles. Dashing through the flame and smoke, he rocketed out into the darkness of space, never feeling more free than in that moment. The void seemed to pull away all the suffocating darkness and fear of Second Moon, leaving his mind clear and determined.

Up ahead, two _Darwins Stealths _rushed toward them, a small contingent of triangular Vagan starfighters rushing in after them, pouring streams of beam fire.

The _Darwins _pumped beam fire back at their adversaries, along with several Shipsinker missiles that blew a dozen apart with each successive blast.

Without warning, a _Fa Raza _materialized in front of Flit and Nova, its beam cannons blazing. Flit sent the Starks into a dizzying series of maneuvers, firing the DODS bazooka until it was drained of power. The _Fa Raza _bucked under the successive blasts and banked away, its prow blazing and missing several of its main guns.

The lead _Darwin Stealth _rushed in, and Flit dove for its hanger bay, firing the Starks' foot thrusters to slow his machine down. It struck the crash pillows with a jarring thud. Hardly waiting for the machine to be secured, Flit grabbed Emily up from the copilot's seat and waited until the suit had passed into the airlock. When the Starks was inside the hanger bay, he opened the cockpit hatch and sailed through.

"You," he called, gesturing at a passing mechanic in a dirty jumpsuit, "This woman is seriously hurt, get me to the medical bay and let them know I'm coming." When the man continued to stare in mild surprise at Flit and Emily's bedraggled appearance, with cuts all over their faces and combat suits in tatters, Flit set a mercilous gaze on him and whipped out his empty pistol and pointed it at the mechanic's head. "_Go._"

Nodding vigorously, the mechanic used his wire-gun and dashed off toward an opening, Flit not far behind him.

* * *

Zul Dahala angled closer towards the moon colony. The grey ring behind it slowly moved forward as well, until both were safely out of the mass of drifting rocks, leaving a trail of tumbling asteroids in their wake.

Medel Zant and Martha Reed watched the massive fortress lumbering toward them as they scanned the surrounding space for enemies. They noticed flashes coming from Second Moon, but those were confirmed to only be _Darwins. _

"Stay sharp Martha, that black _Diva _has to be around here somewhere."

"Do you think it will attack Hermes Arrow?"

"I don't think they could realize what it is. An Grams was convinced these people wouldn't be much of a threat to us here, although I didn't think he counted on _all _of our defensive installations to be wiped out."

"We have to make up for the difference," Martha agreed, her green and turquoise Gafran transforming to mobile suit mode beside him.

* * *

**Second Moon**

"And you are _sure_ he is no longer at the impounding grounds?" Yark Dole asked, standing within one of Second Moon's mobile suit hangers.

The subaltern on the other end of the screen shook his head helplessly. "We scoured the entire facility. Zoroaster Zara is not there."

"Contact the Overlord's palace. The Zoroaster will want to be present when Zul Dahala departs."

Yark broke the transmission and spun away. "Mechanician, ready my Baqto, we shall wipe the Federation out of the Mars Sphere."

_So much for reasoning with Flit Asuno. This whole escapade was an utter disaster. Did An Grams not realize our forces were in disarray here? Well, I suppose no harm was done._

Yark stopped short. Up ahead, Yurin L'Ciel was floating toward him, along with a little girl with white hair and—Decil!

"What are you doing here?" Demanded Yark, not sure what he should ask first. The three of them looked like they had been through a war, with Yurin barefooted and covered in dried blood and what looked to be vomit. Decil and the child didn't appear much better off; the little girl rubbed at rope burns on her wrists, sometimes sucking at them.

"Nice to see I was missed," Decil said with a grin. "Have a Zedas handy?"

"Combat directly out of cold sleep can sometimes be detrimental," countered Yark, disbelieving that Yurin was willing to constrain herself from attacking. He would have killed Decil if he had been in her shoes.

"They would not allow Abigel into the temple without your approval," Yurin said, taking hold of the little girl by the shoulders. "You will contact them and give your approval. I mean it, Yark Dole, I've been to the underlevels and I won't tolerate this any longer!"

Yark was taken aback by the fire in her voice, and realized that all argument was useless. "I understand. However, we must eradicate the enemy forces in order to secure Zul Dahala's launch." He swept past her, cowl rustling about his head. "I am so sorry you had to witness this tragedy," he stopped by a set of five new, red mobile suits. The paint scheme had been inspired by Decil Galette's younger brother, who's fighting exploits during Fardain's siege had not gone unnoticed by the mechanics.

"They cannot be left alone down their to _eat each other, _Yark," Yurin admonished, her presence pushing against his. "I won't let it happen."

Yark looked back at the little girl hugging Yurin's leg apprehensively, her eyes wide and unsure of the future. He felt his heart breaking, and hardened it. He had things that must be done. "As I understand it, these new machines don't have a name. Little one, you're name was Abigel, no? That's a fitting name for these," he looked up at the mobile suits' grim faces.

There was a ripple of danger, forcing Yurin, Yark, and Decil to turn as one toward the direction of space, where Flit Asuno's presence spiked with a triumphant fire.

* * *

**The **_**Silhouette**_

Adalbrecht Diamler sat on the bridge of his ship, watching as the giant ring in front of the enemy fortress began to generate a glowing golden halo on its inward rim. Meanwhile, something disembarked from the fortress that resembled a cannon, with a long barrel of a beam cannon, orange and luminous like the Vagan diffuse emitters.

"What are they planning?" He wondered. He turned to the helmsman, "Increase our speed, target the ring and begin firing at maximum range."

He looked back at Second Moon. "What's the status of the other _Darwins_?"

"They seem to be damaged Sir, they are being harried by a _Fa Raza._"

* * *

Flit Asuno moved the Starks forward. Behind him, the lead _Darwin Stealth _rushed passed the _Fa Raza _and jetted off toward the _Silhouette, _which was approaching the enemy space station on an attack run. The second _Darwin _belched smoke as it broke apart behind him, Flit thanked his stars that Emily had not been on that one. He also breathed a sigh of relief that he had already issued the order for the _Darwins _to release their nuclear weapons stores. With escape on the mind, the captains had not dallied too long to go through with his request.

The warheads were all attached to a rather large missile binder connected to the back of the Starks. He flipped a switch, firing one warhead at the _Fa Raza. _There was a blinding starburst of light, and the Vagan battleship disappeared. The flash vanished away not long after, leaving a trail of glittering metal that darkened soon thereafter.

He turned his attention back toward Second Moon. If he could blast the outer shell hard enough, it may crack open enough to cause significant damage. But then, it was too large, too massive for a mere compliment of nuclear warheads to successfully damage. He paused and scanned the surrounding area. There—a Vagan colony literally rising up from the surface of the planet.

Flit smiled coldly as an idea flashed into his mind. He noticed a Vagan cargo ship dash passed, but it was a small one and of no consequence. He would have forgotten about it as he dashed toward the colony, had the ship not hailed him with a Federation code.

"Asuno?" Ivon Alfenoa asked over the comm.

"Ivon," Flit said in surprise, "Are you and Kannas inside that freighter?"

"Yes, we snuck aboard inside barrels and hijacked it," Kannas said, sounding nervous. "Flit, what are you doing with those missiles?"

"Never mind about that," Flit said. "Get to the _Silhouette, _this whole thing is coming apart at the seams. We couldn't reach Ezelcant, and I don't know where Amadis is right now. Adalbrecht is trying to attack the enemy fortress, said something about a glowing ring—I don't know what is going on over there, but see if you can help out."

"Wait, where is my-

-Nova's got it aboard the _Darwin._"

"I admit, I owe you one this time," Ivon said. "Don't die."

"Don't worry," Flit said as his eyes locked on the fast approaching colony. "I don't intend to yet. There are some things I need to see to first."

_Grodek, I will finish what you began, I promise you._

_Grodek Ainoa can no longer change the world, but Flit Asuno still can. Make the choices that will achieve your goals, if you find them noble enough to take the risk._

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Big Ring**

Mer-Mes Zuberi, now the commandant of Big Ring, sighed as the order was given to release the nuclear warheads. They would arrive at Fardain and be used against the Vagan, leaving him to scrounge about for more weapons to use for the sake of Cleansing.

He was just beginning to contemplate using gas weapons, when something at the Moon caught his eye. Was the shield starting to glow brighter than usual? Kindle had reported that the shield was down, so why had it come back up again, more radiant than ever?

Scowling, he began to suspect that his nuclear weapons would no longer be needed. Perhaps that was for the best, he had reserved a small number for whenever he had a chance to resume Cleansing; adding the majority back to his supply would be a splendid turn of events by making his plans for feasable.

He was about to have the _Mirage _contacted when suddenly his communications operator informed him that there was a transmission already coming from the Moon—a Vagan transmission.

* * *

**The Moon, Tycho Crater base, Adamantine, the **_**Diva**_

Adams Tinel watched as the shield began to take on a more opaque, less transparent form, although the remains of the Federation fleet trapped inside were still faintly visible. The gem began to glow brighter and brighter, untold hosts of colors glittering off its white-blue surface in an awesome display.

"Get us out of here!" Adams commanded, sweat forming on his brow, "Hurry! This cannot be good," he said, finding himself almost hypnotized by the sight. Never had he seen something so beautiful that filled him with such raw terror.

"Sir," his comm. operator called, "there is a transmission coming from the Vagan fortress!"

* * *

**Adamantine, control center**

An Grams stood with back straight, head held high as the Kratos shield glowed with condensed energy. When the display indicated the Federation fleets were listening, he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"I am An Grams, Supreme Commander over all of Vagan's military forces and commanding officer of Adamantine Fortress, previously known as Fardain. As of this time, we have ruined over half your fleet in our trap, and are prepared to destroy you as well. Will you not wait now, and consider a cease-fire? Our goal is to return to Earth, not enact genocide. Your government is cruel and evil, attempting to decimate your own populace for the sake of its own gain," he paused to let this sink in.

"We are reasonable people, and are willing to swallow our hatred for the Federation if the military will stand down now and assist us in establishing Vagan control over the Earth Sphere. We do not wish to harm the people of Earth, only join them here while we seek a way to repair the damage done to Mars. Will you not consider this?"

He waited for the answer, watching Kratos glow with its dazzling performance. Surely they could come to terms with the Federation military. They knew what the Special Forces had done, what the government was capable of. If they could not—and he surely wished they would—An Grams had decided to remove them _all. _He didn't want this, but if necessary, he would make certain to pave a way for the people of Mars to return.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Adams watched as his ship drew further and further from the fleet. The third of the _Diva _class, _Devi, _its bright, yellow hull drew up nearby, turning its guns on its red sister.

"Captain Tinel," a man said, his face appearing on the comm. "This is General Barnabas. As the current commander of the Combined Fleet in lieu of Admiral Kindle's absence, I order you to halt your ship at once!"

"They are preparing to attack," Adams said calmly. "We should retreat for now until the nuclear weapons supply arrives from Big Ring."

"We will not surrender to these _Martians _after they killed so many of our comrades. Don't be taken in by their shield, we will concentrate on Fardain. Halt your ship!"

"I cannot comply with that order," Adams said, wishing that Grodek's iron-bound voice would be his for only a moment. "This ship and its crew are more important to me than my rank." He switched off the comm. "Vargas, get us out of here at full speed, I don't care if we have to melt the engines to do it."

* * *

**Adamantine, control center **

An Grams listened as General Icknam Barnabas rallied his forces together and prepared to make another attack, this one directed at Adamantine itself. Their courage in the face of disaster was impressive, as well as their will to fight. He had not expected such tenacity from this military, although he supposed watching their comrades die for over a year against Fardain's defenses had hardened them.

An Grams did not take pleasure in taking other people's lives, he was not meant to be a soldier he knew all too well. An Grams loved his fellow man too much. However, he would do what must be done, and bear whatever burden his conscience laid on his shoulders. He noticed that the _Diva _and several other ships had moved out of firing range and looked to be gaining even more distance. How humorous, that the notorious _Diva _would manage to escape again.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

The crystalline shield suddenly lit up, brighter than before, producing billions of multi-colored lasers, broken by the crystals, and in an instant sliced the Federation ships to pieces as they danced about in every color imaginable. Adams squinted his eyes shut, not realizing he had been screaming until he pealed his eyes open to find the _Devi _and the remainder of the Combined Fleet a glittering mass of molten shrapnel.

Adams watched as the shield continued to glow, as if it had not released all its power. "Take us down! Toward the pole!" He shouted, even as the glowing light welled up like a new, radiant blue star.

* * *

**Marsh Sphere, the **_**Silhouette**_

"Prepare all nuclear warheads," Adalbrecht commanded, "target the enemy station and its escort vessels—this mission counted on all the damage we could do, and we're going to make a lot of it," he said.

"Sir, we are within firing range of the ring."

"All guns fire at will, aim for the enemy ring and don't hold back. Shoot any mobile suit or _Raza _that gets in our way!

_Flit, you said you were on your way with the other missiles, but—where are you?!_

* * *

Flit detached four of his seven remaining missiles and hid them inside a dummy asteroid—three would be enough for his needs right now.

He noticed the halo ripple and dove for the approaching colony all the faster, glancing over its smooth, gleaming sides, superheated by the fast ascension from the surface of the red planet below. Green light along the ground seemed to wrap itself around the crater where the colony had landed when forced out of orbit, as if the terraformer had been trying to prevent the colony's launching.

"Don't worry, I'll send it back to you," Flit said dourly, his face darkened as he angled the Starks forward and blasted alongside the colony, its mirror panels melted against its sides. He would strike its engines, then let gravity do the rest.

"Flit Asuno!" Medel Zant's voice called. Flit looked to the side monitor to see Medel Zant and Martha Reed's Gafrans rushing down at him, beam guns blazing.

Flit spiraled away from the blasts, disconnected the warheads and rushed at the two, firing the Reiber hammer to knock Martha's Gafran back against the sides of the colony. As Zant came dashing in, Flit spiraled through his fire, angling beneath the enemy as he drew the Reiber back. Just as Zant dodged the incoming flail, Flit fired a wave of missiles. Zant cried out in disbelief as his Gafran was struck by a whole wave of warheads and hurled back. Flit dashed in, drew a beam saber and sliced off the Gafran's head, its escape pod jettisoning in time to spare its pilot a white-hot end as Flit plunged the saber through the Gafran's face.

"Zant," Martha yelled, her Gafran charging up, firing its tail cannon. Flit let his shoulder binders absorb or deflect the shots, then punched in the coordinates. He pressed the command, sending one of the three missiles speeding from the missile binder and straight into Martha's Gafran, hurling it back to the colony, where she managed to move out of the way and swoop down in mobile armor mode. A brilliant flash of light turned the armor within the impact zone into a wave a sparkling diamond dust, followed by a blast of flame as the explosion tore into the colony.

"I _will return to Earth_ with Emily!If I can take the lot of you before I leave, so help me I will! Then there won't be _anyone _stopping us from growing old and dying together in _peace!"_

Inside his cockpit, Zant watched Martha's machine caught in the storm of dust, which vanished almost as soon as it began. In that instant, countless pieces of white-hot shrapnel tore apart her Gafran's wings and left it lifeless. Unable to propel itself, the battered green Gafran slowly began to drift away, toward the stormclouds of the Martian sky as they licked hungrily at the edges of the atmosphere. Without hesitating, Zant dove after her machine, firing at Flit with his tail cannon as he descended.

Flit watched the two Gafrans fall, hoping the terraformer irradiated both of their monstrous mobile suits, when suddenly an alarm blared.

"Reinforcements?" He muttered, hitting the firing switch. The remaining two missiles dashed from the binder, soaring toward the rear of the colony. With a gaping hole in its side, the colony would burn away on reentry once its propulsion system was disabled.

Flit watched in triumph as the missiles sped for the engines—a saffron net of beam fire flashed around the missiles, blowing them away. _Flit Asuno!_

A familiar sensation rippled up his spine, sending his body tingling. Flit looked up, toward Second Moon floating above. A violet burst of light appeared like a star, then into a comet as it soared down on a triangular flight base. The machine halted in front of him in a blast of light. Three pyramidal funnels flashed out from behind its back. Flit felt his hands trembling on the controls, and when he tried to move them, found it was impossible.

Inside the black Farsia, Yurin L'Ciel steeled herself as she drew the Farsia's black blade across its glowing chest cannon and charged.

* * *

**Earth Sphere the Moon, Tycho Crater base, Adamantine**

"They refused us to the last," An Grams said with a heavy sigh. "Is the target within firing range?"

"Yes Supreme Commander! They were matching orbit with the Moon for quick supply transfers."

"Very well then." An Grams watched as the targeting sensors surrounded Big Ring. "Fire when ready, Technician."

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

Adams Tinel floated almost gently from his seat to watch as the brilliant glow of the shield erupted in a pillar of blue-white light. The screen darkened, saving his eyes from the blinding scintillation.

* * *

**Big Ring, control center**

Mer-Mes Zuberi smiled across the screen at Fondor. "See, my old friend, I am glad you are being reasonable about our plans."

"I will make a deal with you only when our forces have secured the Moon," Cedrick Fondor said.

"But that will take time," Mer-Mes reminded. "Even if you make an official statement to the military, the Vagan commander _does _make a valid case."

"Commander!" An officer screamed, leaping in terror from his seat.

Mer-Mes paused and looked up. He screamed as the light made his eyes burn like needles had pierced through their center.

* * *

The glittering pillar of light washed over the space station of Big Ring. Piece by piece, the Federation's greatest stronghold disappeared; when the luminous blast from Kratos vanished away into a trail of glowing crystal fragments, there was nothing left of Big Ring save so much stardust.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Vagan Battlestation, Zul Dahala**

Nixean McArver watched in disbelief as the damaged Keshae colony belched air and debris. They were attacking the colonies rather than Zul Dahala. How things had come full circle. Nixean bowed his head. "Technician," he commanded, looking down at the tiered rows of control booths of the battlestation's command center. "You must not allow the enemy ship near Hermes Ring. Move us forward."

"Yes, Commander. But…we have yet to hear word from the Zoroaster."

"I understand there is a situation going on inside Second Moon, allow Zoroaster Zara time to deal with that crisis. Unless we are otherwise ordered, this station will continue with the launch."

* * *

The _Darwin Stealth _belched flame as it fell slowly toward Mars, Vagan mobile suits darting around it, unleashing storms of beam Gatling fire from their chest cannons.

"Emily and Kannas are still inside!" Nova screamed, stabbing at a red, black and pink armored mobile suit as it dashed at her, cerulean beam saber ignited. The enemy blocked her saber blow and dashed off, flipping its rectangular tail over its shoulder and firing a missile that swooped past her Genoace II and struck the _Darwin, _cracking it in half in blaze of fire.

"Hahah, this thing has _tons _firepower!" Decil Galette cackled with delight, throwing his Abigel to the side as Nova's Genoace II raced up to strike at him with a second beam saber hack.

Inside his Sylph Gundam, Ivon Alfenoa blocked a furious series of beam blasts from Yark Dole Briar's Baqto, who clawed at him with all five beam talons ignited.

"You are going to cause Flit Asuno quite the bit of angst," Ivon said, none too politely.

"I will see to it that none of you escape here alive!" Yark Dole roared back, "He is attacking the colonies, following the same pattern that Geera Zoi and countless others did. This cycle will only end when one side is dead, and I and my people will the the ones standing!"

"Sounds like you've fallen into that pattern yourself," Ivon laughed, firing his DODS rifle, which the Baqto dodged nimbly.

* * *

Arabel Zoi, now inside a Federation normal suit twice his size, flew out the side of the burning _Darwin. _Where had the black haired boy gone? And Emily as well? He had raced to the infermary, only to find them no longer there. Arabel glanced around, he was drifting quickly away, toward a group of ships launching from Second Moon. Vagan reinforcements? No, he recognized them as the ships they had passed by when exiting the elevator.

He used what fuel was left in the propellant tanks and pushed himself in the direction of the fleet, which was angling nearby, perhaps to search for survivors. Perhaps not, as he watched the ships moving passed without a second of afterthought. He grabbed the wire-gun that was attached to his suit's side and fired it at the hull of one of the ships. He pulled himself close, and began to feel along the hull for an opening.

Pieces of tiny shrapnel pelted all around him. One rounded piece of heated metal pierced his leg, a blazing agony like a shot wound coursed up his limb and actually made him grip the wire-gun harder. The sound of decompressing air reminded him that Earthrace normal suits did not seal wounds or punctures to the fabric. He grabbed at the birdlime dispenser and released the gelatinous grey blob, which stuck to his wounded leg, sealed the injury and attached him firmly in place so he could neither fly off or dodge incoming shrapnel. His body suddenly felt fuzzy, as if some kind of energy were running invisibly around him. His suit began to heat up to extreme temperatures, and he feared he would be fried to death.

Then a hatch opened, and a hand grabbed him and with an impressive show of physical strength, yanked him inside despite the birdlime. His helmet came off, and he knew nothing more.

* * *

"_This can't be happing!_" Flit shouted, dodging a wave of beam fire. "Yurin, answer me! I can tell it's you!"

"I wish I could say the same!" Yurin's cried, over the comm. Her funnels flashed around him in a wave as Flit sent the Starks rocketing toward the dummy asteroid and the remaining missiles. They had drifted close Zul Dahala, along with the damaged colony, which appeared to be sealing the opening his missile blew in its hull.

"Yurin, how could you end up in a mobile suit again, _Fighting ME!?" _He rushed at the asteroid, only to be blocked as the Farsia arched around and slashed at him with its black blade. Flit parried with the spear and launched the Reiber hammer into the Farsia, which let the force of the blow propel it backward, then looped down beneath the Starks, firing its chest cannon.

Flit angled away, already spinning and weaving through a furious beam net unleashed by Yurin's funnels.

"Look at you Flit! Look at yourself," an image of Yurin appeared on screen, and Flit stopped racing toward the asteroid, transfixed by her form, covered in purple and red priestly robes, the entire left side of her face covered in a white burn scar. "Do you see it, Flit?" She used the Farsia's sword to point at the reeling Keshae colony.

"They're _Cannibals!" _Flit screamed, hot tears flashing from his eyes as he sent the Starks dashing to the side of the Farsia, which lunged into his path, slashing with its black blade, slicing the Reiber spear in half and then kicking the Starks back as it fired its full compliment of missiles. Yurin waited until they were right on her, then the black flight base rocketed up in a comet of violet light, whisking the Farsia away. All five pyramid funnels drew together in the mobile suit's place and unleashed a barrage of brilliant xanthous fire, eradicating the missiles in a glowing spectacle.

"They're murderers and inhuman monsters," Flit continued, dashing after the Farsia, which darted away from its flight base and slashed down at him with a violet saber. The Starks flashed its eyes and drew a beam saber, activating it as it came out of the compartment, blocking Yurin's downward cut with an overhead block. She backed up, firing a pulsing blast from her chest cannon, even as Flit angled away and came in with a lateral slash. Yurin parried and speared the Starks on the inside of its shoulder binder where it connected with the shoulder armor.

"If that's what they are then you've become just like them!" Yurin returned with a scream, her ethereal form appearing in Flit's mind to block his field of vision, eyes condescending. "_This is not what I asked you to live for!_"

"I am not one of them!" Flit roared, his throat growing hoarse, unleashing a furious series of saber blows. "What about you, Yurin? How could you know how to pilot a mobile suit? Why are you using your powers at all!?" The Starks crossed blades with the Farsia, and as Yurin tried to parry the blow, Flit drew the Starks' other saber and speared the Farsia's chest. Yurin drew back, the damage only superficial to the Farsia's armor. "You aren't Yurin! Yurin would never do this to me!"

"What about what you're doing to me?!" The Farsia gestured with its hands, its pyramid funnels angling toward Flit with a furious volley of beam fire. Flit spiraled through the pillars of burning energy and kicked the Farsia back ,Yurin's scream echoing in his mind.

"_Flit! _Think about this! Think about why I'm in a mobile suit now. This is not how I wanted to meet you again!"

"Then _why_ Yurin!? You're not one of them!" Flit screamed dashing back toward the dummy asteroid. He slashed it away with a beam saber, then was driven back by a wave of funnel fire, losing a leg in the process. Yurin's face appeared before his, a wave of the rippling green halo swirling around his field of vision. "Why? You were kidnapped, burned! You should know more than anyone that they_ can't_ be allowed to live!"

The Farsia sliced off the Starks' damaged binder with a quick beam saber blow, blocking the Starks saber with its physical blade. The two machine's kicked at each other, but the Farsia dashed away by grabbing its flight base. "You're wrong about these people Flit. _I've lived with them, talked with them, suffered with them!"_ Yurin said, her voice pleading. "Are these people responsible for their conditions? No! It was the Federation! Please stop trying to _murder _innocent lives! What these people need is love, not a nuclear warhead!"

The two machines clashed together, saber to sword, then the Farsia leapt back, sending its flight base into the Starks, then blowing off its other binder and arm with a powerful beam cannon blast.

"_Silhouette, _this is Flit! Send the Razor Wear!" Flit yelled into the comm., not sure if he was even heard. He looked passed the swirling turquoise ocean of the halo at the Farsia as in careened toward him, funnels arrayed together for a pulsing blast.

Flit dodged a saber slash from the Farsia and sent the Starks leaping upward with the power of its leg boosters. A stray beam shot nearly struck the Gundam's cockpit.

"_They took everything from me! I can't believe you would defend these demons, against ME!_" Flit screamed, shaking his head desperately. "_I thought you loved me!"_

"I do love you, with all my heart! But I don't even recognize you anymore!" Yurin screamed, her voice more broken than he had ever heard it. "Open your eyes! The ones _responsible_ for all this _died at Ambat!_"

"You're wrong! Why can't you see that? How can you after seeing the underlevels of Second Moon, after being on _Nora!?_"

The Starks continued racing back, now beneath the massive hulk of Zul Dahala as it lumbered up to the glowing ring, now producing a golden field in its center. There was a flash, and the Amembo roared in. Flit disconnected the remnants of the Starks and quickly attached the Razor Wear. Meanwhile, Flit ran some calculations, hands flying over the controls, everything blurred by tears of grief and rage.

The missile binders banked toward the Keshae colony.

Yurin, inside the Farsia's cockpit shook her head to clear it, her face burning, her chest felt like someone had speared it with a piece of shrapnel. "I can't let you do this!"

The Razor Gundam's eyes flashed to life and Flit combined its blades and rushed down to strike the Farsia's own sword in a shower of sparks. "How? I don't understand Yurin. Come back with me, come back with me Earth and forget about these monsters!" He stared at her sorrowful face in disbelief, then understanding crossed his face. The scars, the red earrings, the priestly robes. The specter of Geera Zoi floated through his mind, _They are called Nanos-zsells. With these I can turn my soldiers into loyal warriors who will storm the Earth sphere without care for injury or death. _

Flit screamed up at the Farsia, his eye lit with rage. "They've _TURNED YOU!_" He roared, deploying the Razor's Mantis claws.

The Razor dashed forward, slashing at the Farsia with its combined blade, then using a blade assisted kick to slice off one of the black machine's legs. The Farsia drew back, firing its beam machineguns.

"Now you're just kidding yourself!" Yurin shot back as she weaved through a series of DODS rifle blasts. The Razor roared in and clawed madly at the Farsia with its claws before dashing away to avoid a saber slash.

The enemy station was now moving into the ring's field of energy, the _Silhouette _blocked by a pair of _Fa Raza _and a swarm of starfighters. There was a flash, and the two battleships disappeared in a nuclear flash.

Yurin sent the Farsia dashing forward, twisting her sword around the Razor's own blade and sending it spinning away.

"I'm not under their control, Flit," Yurin said with her eyes filled with sorrow. Her voice was calm now as she stared across the screen at his wild face. The Razor quickly drew a pair of beam sabers, but the Farsia unleashed a sudden barrage of beam fire from two funnels, blasting the sabers away. The funnels angled closer, pinning the Gundam in. "I'm sorry Flit, but my place is here now. After seeing all this, if your poor soul cannot feel an ounce of pity, then perhaps letting me go will not be so hard."

"Why? Why can't you just come back to the Earth Sphere? How can you sympathize with these people," Flit whispered, his body shaking with frustration.

Yurin closed her eyes and hung her head. "Even if I wanted to, I could not go back and abandon the people of Vagan. I am dying of the same diseases that are killing them."

Flit looked up, his face haggard and tired, but eyes still smoldering dangerously.

Yurin frowned at him, filled with pity at what he had become. "Whether you like it or not, my fate is tied with Vagan now."

"You're lying, the Yurin I knew wouldn't let herself be killed for these demons."

"I'm sorry," Yurin backed the Farsia up and pointed at Zul Dahala, which now hung in the center of the ring, the golden field of energy now extended outward to allow the station more room. "The solar sail will carry Zul Dahala to Earth and continue the war there. Go back, Flit. Earth is waiting for someone to change it. If you work hard, I know you can bring this pointless, selfish conflict to an end. If you want to."

"_Why?"_ Flit watched the Farsia draw back and angle its funnels away. They moved toward the nuclear warheads and blew them apart, retreating to the funnel rack on the back of the Farsia. "I"LL NEVER FORGIVE THEM! _NOT AFTER WHAT THEY DID TO YOU!"_

"We have two worlds to tend to Flit, let us not neglect them." With a pulse of light, the flight base dashed by, carrying the Farsia away in a comet of violet light.

* * *

The _Silhouette _groaned under the strain as it angled around a slew of firepower from the black and red Zul Dahala. Inside the bridge, Adalbrecht Diamler looked at Flit over the comm. in disbelief. "You cannot expect me to actually get inside the ring with _that Battlestation!_" He cried incredulously. "We're barely making it as it is, Flit!"

"We cannot let that thing get to Earth without a fight," Flit insisted. "Have you tried to attack the ring?"

"We have but it has some kind of energy shield blocking our weaponry."

"Where are the survivors of the second _Darwin_?"

"That would be Emily and me," Kannas called over the comm. Flit looked down to see the Vagan cargo freighter moving up toward him, the Sylph and Nova's Genoace II, a red one, not her custom machine, angling beside the freighter.

"Stay close," Flit said, dashing forward as the ship angled up next to him, deploying a pair of beam cannons. "This is going to get rough."

_Stay safe, Flit, _Yurin's voice said into his mind. He saw her smiling face in front of him, and wiped it away with a burst of concentration. Yurin L'Ciel was dead.

The Razor rocketed through a blaze of crimson beam fire, the _Silhouette, _battered and its armor glowing from several hits rose up into the golden energy field with the silver and blue Gundam. The Vagan cruiser moved up as well, pretending to take shots at the Federation ship to confuse the station's gunners.

"Attacking a colony, you're no different than me!" Cackled Adalbrecht Diamler over the comm. Beams speared the ship's hull, burning large holes into the ship's hulk. A beam cannon detonated, blowing apart one of the mobile suit's catapult decks. With a flash, the nuclear warheads luanched, most getting picked off, but two reached the underside of the battlestation and blew away a goodly portion of its cannons, not to mention causing incredible internal damage.

"I don't think mobile suits are designed to travel at such speeds," Ivon broke in. "Asuno, back into the freighter! There might be room for our two suits. Nova-

-Already inside!" She called, her abandoned Genoace II floated back, a red beam spearing straight through its opened cockpit hatch.

Flit gritted his teeth as he moved the Gundam toward the freighter.

"To think all this time and you were preaching to me and yet you want to wipe the Vagans out!" Adalbrecht continued to laugh.

Inside the bridge, Adalbrecht Asuno put a hand to his forehead. "I guess I really was better than you after all."

Back outside, Flit was about to enter the freighter as it moved down below and ahead of Zul Dahala, when a red Vagan machine dashed into view, along with a Baqto.

_Flit Asuno! We will not allow you to interfere! Zul Dahala will reach the Earth Sphere, but you shall not._

Flit felt his rage boil over in a wave. The halo glowed red, a burning light that turned his vision into a crimson blindness. _Yark Dole Briar, when I meet you next time, I swear I will carve you out of that machine!_

_Mr. Fliiit, _Decil's voice laughed. _Wait up a moment! I'll get Ms. Yurin here and we can have a rematch where we left off!_

Flit shrieked, trembling in rage as he started to turn the Gundam around, DODS rifle leveled.

Then the black form of Yurin's Farsia soared in, the flight base forced both Baqto and Abigel apart, its funnels unleashing a net of beam fire around the two machines, locking them in a cage of yellow pillars.

"_Go, Run! I will take care of Decil," _Yurin said across the comm. and through her senses.

The Abigel and Farsia began to dance in a blaze of pulsing beam blasts.

Flit turned away, starting for the open doors of the Vagan freighter.

He entered inside, but not before watching the _Silhouette _move up in front of the ship.

"Adalbrecht, what are you doing," he screamed, even as the black and white _Phalanx _class began to break apart in waves of flame.

* * *

"Flit, did you ever finish your Father's journal?"

"Yes," Flit called from the Gundam, his face appearing on the static-riddled monitor. "You have to move out of the way, they are targeting us!"

"There's no running here," Adalbrecht said with a smile. He looked around at the brave members of his crew, all set to their tasks as the _Silhouette _returned the beam fire in spades.

"If you're done, I hope you don't mind me keeping this," Adalbrecht took Alfred Asuno's journal and placed it on his lap. "I hope you enjoyed the read."

* * *

With a tremendous blast, the _Silhouette _blew apart. Flit watched the bridge turn into a blazing furnace, tongues of flame rushed passed the captain's chair—wiping Adalbrecht Asuno away as if he had never been.

* * *

Behind Zul Dahala, the primary accelerator laser-Hermes Arrow-fired a bright, red beam into the solar sail, which was now firmly attached via a pair of emitters to the station. The Vagan freighter had taken advantage of the nuclear impact zone, free of beam cannons, and moved up in an alcove at the last possible second with literally not much more time than that to spare.

In an instant—Zul Dahala, the freighter, the glowing golden field—vanished in a flash.

* * *

Yurin turned away from the departure, and let a single tear fall down her cheek. _Goodbye, Flit. _She returned her attention to Decil. "And _now, _we don't have any more distractions, _Decil Galette._"

"You don't scare me, Temple whore," Decil sneered derisively, activating his Abigel's beam saber and sweeping in for the kill. "I've practically fought you twice. I've seen what you can do, Ms. Violet."

Yurin sent the Farsia dashing away from the saber blow, her funnels obeying her call to swarm around the red machine and unleash a net of beam fire. "Very well then, Unbeliever."


	26. Chapter 25 Vulcan's Anvil

**Author's notes: So, I originally didn't intend to add the Decil versus Yurin duel, since it's not that explosive as people would imagine. After all, Decil is just out of cold sleep—in an Abigel bombardment type mobile suit—and Yurin is in the Farsia and has been practicing to the extent she can give Flit a run for his money. Nevertheless, people demanded it, so it is here. **

* * *

_**Chapter Twenty Five Vulcan's Anvil **_

* * *

**February 29****th****, AG118-Mars Sphere, Hermes Ring solar sail ballista**

"I used you the first time, I'll use you now!" Decil Galette cackled, firing a stream of Gatling fire at Yurin L'Ciel's pyramid funnels. The Black Farsia lunged down, slashing with its word, Decil blocked the blow with both blue hued beam sabers and twisted the physical blade out of Yurin's hand.

"Both of you, stop this at once!" Yark Dole Briar's voice called, his Baqto rushing down. He grabbed hold of the Abigel with its powerful arms, tail cannon coming up jam its rifle barrel against the Abigel's tail so it could not flip or maneuver.

"You're underestimating the Abigel," Decil commented, pushing the machine to full power. In a surprising show of strength, the red mobile suit fired its flickering thrusters and tore the Baqto off of it, slamming it in the chest with a kick even as Yurin rushed in on her flight base, three remaining funnels flashing wildly.

The Abigel dashed through the blasts and opened up its forearm shells, launching four missiles at the Farsia as it flipped its bazooka tail over and fired off a round. The funnels took care of them missiles and the bazooka shell, Yurin easily dodging the spurts of plasma as she swept in to slash the Abigel, which parried her blow and blew off the Farsia's arm with its beam Gatling.

"You're mistaken if I'm going to sit in this cockpit and let you leach off my power," Yurin countered, she slowed down the Farsia and stuck out its chest as the violet diffuse emitter glowed and fired a sparking beam.

Decil laughed and dashed aside, firing his ion cannons at the Farsia. The blasts struck the black mobile suit's armor, its chest cannon now sparking. "You're still not used to fighting with your senses. It takes practice!"

"Then why didn't you notice these?" Yurin asked him? Her apparition appeared in front of his face as her funnels rushed in, taking aim at his machine's tail.

"Easy," Decil mocked, weaving away from the saffron beam fire.

"Both of you, I order you to stop. If you think this is a game-

-Shut up, Yark, this is fun!" Decil laughed, dodging another volley of firepower from the funnels.

Yurin dashed in at Decil, unleashing a barrage of beam machinegun fire at him, driving him back into a cage of beam fire she set up with her funnels. The Abigel blew one apart at last with a bazooka round, but just as it did so, the Farsia dashed in, grabbed the Abigel in a hug and sent them both careering toward the glowing fireball—a jet of plasma leap from the globe—"stop! You'll"-and covered the Abigel's red armor. Yurin let go and kicked the Abigel away, slicing off its tail with an expert slash from her beam saber. The Abigel tumbled away and managed to flip around, only to dodge a pair of glowing boomerangs from the Baqto.

"I won't allow you two to continue like this," Yark Dole Briar insisted angrily, "what if you were killed?"

"GOOD!" Both combatants shouted, turning their firepower on the Baqto and sending Yark scurrying back.

As one, they turned back toward each other and swept forward, beam sabers clashing. The two funnels darted down, swarming beam fire at random.

"At this rate you'll damage your own machine!" Decil warned, growing desperate as his right arm and shoulder joints began to fail from the damage from the plasma jet. Yurin ignored the beams spearing past her armor, searing its edges. One blew off her Farsia's funnel container, but she continued on, fighting the Abigel in a ruthless attack.

"You're a failure of a pilot," Decil sneered, sending her a pulse of his power, knocking her back in her seat with the shock as he kicked the Farsia in the chest and pummeled it with Gatling bolts of sizzling energy. Yurin banked away nearby and quirked her powers just so, calling the flight base toward her with its explosive cargo delicately balanced at its center. The base was unable to grasp things, but it could magnetize the surface so the Farsia could latch on with its feet. It worked the way she was hoping too, so long as the magnetic force didn't directly affect the payload….

Decil leapt in, the funnels arrayed themselves behind him, ready to fire a combined duel blast, only for them to stop glowing in mid-charge.

"Haha, looks like you overextended your funnels!"

"Haha, looks like you fell for it!" Yurin said, her Farsia leaping aside as the Abigel swung its saber, driving a gauge through the black machine's armor, nearly severing the trunk from lower torso.

Decil felt a pulse of danger and watched as the Farsia moved out of the way, revealing the flight base dashing up with the Abigel's bazooka tail attached to its surface. He powered down his chest cannon, already swinging to block the Farsia as it clawed at him with its beam saber.

As the Abigel tried to run, the Farsia grabbed its arm and held it as the Flight base rammed into the red machine, magnetizing to its surface.

"Now I'll just destroy it," Decil said, growing frustrated as he slashed with his saber. The Farsia's remaining arm went flying, forcing Yurin to retreat as her sparking machine began to lose power.

Decil laughed and raised its sword to cleave the flight base in half—even as the blade descended, the funnels behind glowed again, resuming charge at half power and fired their twin shots right into the bazooka.

Decil's eyes went wide in revelation—"NO!"

Inside the Farsia, Yurin watched in smug satisfaction as the Abigel disappeared in a wash of its own erupting plasma rockets, the jets of the glowing ejecta flying out at random. A red escape pod floated out of the debris, Decil curled up in side, covering his head in terror. Yurin smiled and opened her own cockpit, unfastening her beam pistol from its holster. She raised the beam up at the pod as it sailed in, part of its side glowing hot.

"Maybe I should melt your pilot's suit to half of _your _face," Yurin said, eyes wild with triumphant rage, "Or perhaps I should make it quick."

"Stop!" Decil shrieked. "No! I'm sorry! I give I give! I don't want to"—the Baqto descended, stopping behind the escape pod as it transformed to mobile suit mode, hand reaching out to snatch away Yurin's prize with one clawed hand. Its visor line flashed.

"Yurin," Yark Dole Briar said, "You're seriously not considering killing him. If you do, you're only following Flit's path of revenge with just one person."

"Don't lecture me about revenge Yark Dole, this was a fair fight—more than fair, I came in after losing an arm," Yurin retorted, stowing her pistol as she moved toward the Baqto, abandoning the Farsia. She held no real love for that particular machine.

Inside the Baqto's cockpit, Yark sighed with defeat. "Very well. We will be returning to Second Moon. I have an idea: maybe we can push forward with the construction of more sleeping chambers. The populace was against it in the past, but we will have to do something about the famine until our food production can meet the demands again."

"I wanna another ZEDAS!" Decil whined, smacking his fists against the control board of the vanquished Abigel repeatedly in a rhythm. "I want-the-Zedas! I want-the-Zedas! I want-the-Zedas!"

"Silence, you're like a spoiled child," Yurin commanded. "The other orphans were grateful and better mannered than you."

"You never met Zanald," Decil retorted. "Guerrilla would make me look _nice_," he said, his apparition smiling smugly at her. "I'm still alive, don't you want to try and get me a new suit? We can have a rematch."

"No," Yurin retorted. "I would rather teach you some manners, through pain."

"No more of that," Yark disabled Decil's comm. "Yurin, we're going. In the meantime, pray that one saw you interfering with our attack on Flit Asuno. I may not be able to protect you from such behavior."

Decil couldn't use the comm. but his enhanced senses picked up on the gist of the conversation. _Yeeeaah. You're in for it Temple whore. Throw her in the mines and make her suffer!_

_And as for you, _Yark Dole Briar said, _it is back to the cold sleep chambers._

* * *

**Overlord's Palace**

Issishar Ezelcant stood in her father's grand balcony overlooking the vast city of Vagan, her attention drawn to the masses of people flocking to the temple for food and much needed medical treatment. This was a stroke of luck, something Issishar accounted for half her political successes, and downfall. This mass of gathered people would be perfect as spectators.

Zoroaster Zara knelt not far away, humbled into an obedient servant like he was supposed to be, mind possibly still numb after the Worm technique she had used to pry out his memories of recent events. Lovely technique, the Worm, she was glad she had been taught by the Extrasensor Labs team, they found so many useful ways to mold the X-Region into a proper organ; like a martial artist learns to use their fists in a way superior to a street thug.

"I hope preparations are already underway for my departure," Issishar said, turning to look at Zara with a keen, red eye.

"Yes, Mighty One. I will prepare a vessel immediately.

"No no, I wanted it already _happening._" Issishar spun from the window, her black and dark red robes billowing behind her. "It's nothing really, Zara. Get up off the floor, you're sulking," she said as if talking to a little boy. "Father was very perceptive to lock the database from anyone save himself. Even I cannot replicate his exact mental signature—too much benevolent thought patterns that boggle my poor mind."

"Are you sure that you are not needed here, Mighty One?"

"Hmm, 'Mighty One', doesn't sound quite right. I'll keep working on it, a proper, befitting title is the first necessity to any properly structured Empire." She combed at her hair. "I am not needed here, I must go to the front of this war—at once by the look of the situation you people have yourselves in. That Grams sounds like a humanitarian—unsuitable for a military overseer. I launch at once, prepare Hermes Ring and Arrow. I want to take charge of our forces attacking the Forge Zone."

"But it is not ready to fire again after being used, we have to enact repairs, Your Grace?"

"Grace is for nuns and public figures," Issishar said, rejecting that title. "Simply call me, 'My Lady, or My Master. Yes! That's it. Call me 'Master'. Oh, I forgot to answer your question," she turned to him and stepped into his face, causing Zara to involuntarily step back, the fear of what he knew she was capable of palpable to her senses. "And what use is Hermes Arrow after I depart Mars? You have nothing of worth here to send to the cause asides myself."

"But the people, Angra Zenon-

-Is Hermes Ring big enough to fit a colony?" She asked, with a mock polite tone as one would speak to a child.

"No..

"Then it's useless," she said derisively with a slight sneer. "Besides, those people here should remain as they are."

"But we don't have food. What will we do?"

"Let the strong ones survive by consuming the weak," She turned to Zara and placed her hands on his shoulders so he wouldn't back away. "Do that, and they will be the most formidable soldiers yet."

"But-but that is," Zara shut his mouth, not sure what to say as he gazed into those terrifying red eyes. They said that Lady Dorene Ezelcant had the same, but he suspected they were more gentle than Issishar's.

"Survival of the strong is what moves the world forward. Men of great forward thinking like Hitler and Elegros had the right idea, but used too forceful a means to go about their goals. They should have made their populace forsake that one great weakness, instead of using facilities to do the work in secret."

She turned to the balcony, gesturing for him to stand beside her. "I have seen it before, Zara. Weapons and technology that boggle the human mind, and I myself a pinnacle of what can be accomplished. But there is something holding mankind back, something resilient that must be broken forever. Something that stops us from uniting and climbing to untold heights."

"What?" Zara felt a chill run up his spine.

"Morals; those stupid, insignificant feelings people are cursed with when born. Who you can mate with, who can't steal from, who you shouldn't lie to, who you bow and scrape to, the list is long and arduous. You would be amazed, Zoroaster Zara, what you can do," she gestured toward the city of Second Moon with a long sweep of her graceful arm, "when you throw away this thing called conscience."

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Forge Zone**

"Mukured," Lalaparly said, her voice echoing harshly in the still, metal corridors of the construction station.

Mukured Madorna turned to see Lalaparly Madorna approaching swiftly, her long, black dress billowing around her growing womb. He noticed her purple hair more than usual today, possibly because it was let loose in a wild tangle. "You didn't sleep last night," he said, letting her sail into his chest.

"We have to leave," she said, gesturing with her head at the viewport, where construction machines and worker pods moved about in a constant stream of faded paint and industrial grey or tan colored hull plating. Several colonies were being moved deeper into the Forge Zone, probably to make way for the new order Prime Minister Fondor had given. The larger construction docks were needed for the _Fortuna _capital ships.

"Calm down, Lalaparly, it's out of range right now," Mukured said with a reassuring smile. He felt her back muscles tensed and knotted, and began to work them out with his fingers.

"You saw what they did, that light beam—I think it might have permanently damaged my eyes," she claimed biting her lower lip. "Big Ring is gone—you know what that means now."

"I'm not sure I follow," Mukured said, a cold feeling settling in the pit of his stomach, forcing his breakfast's digestion to an unpleasant halt.

"The Federation stronghold and the Combined Fleet were wiped out in a _single _blast, Muki."

"Don't call me that," Mukured said, visibly shuddering. "So what? That means more orders than us. I get that the laser was a surprise, but-

-Don't you get it? Where else are they going to redirect their forces now? What is the biggest strategic target they can hit?" Lalaparly stared into his eyes, her own filled with worry.

Mukured felt his reassuring smile fading away like a flower in wintertime. "Here, the Forge Zone is important! With all the construction consolidated in this place, crushing it quickly would ensure the Federation could not replenish its forces quickly!"

"Fondor is here as well," Lalaparly said, "that rumor we heard about Admiral Sireneen being assassinated, should it be true, the Vagan might have spies here watching _us."_

That was an implication Madorna hadn't thought of. They were in charge of the Shaldoll and Genoace F production lines. The Madornas had become quite the popular couple here, and he had enough business opportunities to make money a worry of the past. Unfortunately, "We are a target—is that what you're saying?" He asked, placing his arms on her shoulders, both of them now talking in lower voices. Suddenly the empty hall felt unsafe; remote.

"We should go back to the Workshop, and settle in some place safe like Minsry. Ract Elfamel has a number of his ships currently docked there, it would be good to remain safe with an old friend like him," she suggested, an urgency in her tone that Madorna caught almost at once.

"Is something else wrong?" He gripped her arms tighter. "Did you see someone?"

"No," she said, looking down.

"The baby? Is something wrong?"

"I don't know. The doctor said I've been so stressed lately, a miscarriage is always possible. I've had them twice before you know. This time, I want to go somewhere safe, relax on Minsry and have a child without losing it to workload. Or worse-

-Don't say it," Madorna said, raising a hand. "We'll leave immediately. Blast it all, if Sutura were here, I could get her to take over. She always had a way with these people."

"Came with the upbringing, let's go," she pulled him toward their room's still open door.

"You already packed?"

"Started," Lalaparly replied with a shrug. "I didn't plan to ask until I was ready. We can't waist time."

Something _slammed _into the station, shaking their remaining belongings—mostly Mukured's clothes—into the air. Another blow caused sirens to blare frantically, blasting their eardrums so they couldn't hear each other speak.

"What was that?" Lalaparly screamed at him, her words only mistakable from her lip movements.

Madorna raised his hands and elbows in a shrug and mouthed, "I don't know."

Another boom, this one rattled the walls and caused a light to flicker. Both Madornas rushed from the room, Lalaparly carrying a pair of suitcases. By the viewport, Madorna was already hovering, mouth agape.

"What?!" He shouted, pointing with his finger toward the edge of the construction yards. "Is _that!?"_

Far ahead, a vaguely acorn shaped mass of dark metal with glowing red panels hovered menacingly, a small stream of crimson beam fire racing out after an object too small for the human eye to see. In moments, blazing beam bolts flew from the dark object, while portions of its surface glowed red and it began to approach.

"A Vagan space station," Lalaparly yelled in answer to her own question, grabbing Madorna and taking hold of a lift-grip. They sailed along quickly, glancing across the hall at the steadily approaching behemoth shape the entire trip. When they reached a subway chute, the Vagan fortress was already within the boundaries of the Forge Zone's larger construction facilities—shreds of metal flew about it like burnt wrapping paper, glowing cherry red to white hot from the crimson bolts. One seared toward their station, fizzling out long before reaching them.

The effect was enough. Lalaparly and Madorna rushed into the chute's spherical transfer chamber, composed of a durable, clear plastic, which sealed shut behind them as a vent above released a blast of air, which steadily intensified, at least it should have.

"Why aren't we moving quicker?"

Madorna looked up at the vent as the wind pushed them further and further away. "It must have been the crash, put it on danger alert in case of debris."

A tremendous boom rattled the chute and cracked the tubing glass one level above, the wind sent it clattering against their bubble as it vibrated from the collision—"Speaking of," Madorna cried as the chute reached a small viewport giving them a brief glimpse of the Forge Zone. The fortress fast approached, sending the entire construction sites and their work crews running madly toward the Madorna station, some cumbersome pieces of equipment or even spacecraft (some very large ones) slamming against its sides, hence the banging.

The chute angled in a loop, taking them from the viewport and deeper into relative safety.

* * *

**Vagan Battlestation, Zul Dahala**

"Where do you think you're aiming," demanded Nixean McArver from the commander's station overlooking his frantic subordinates. Most of them were improperly nourished, he had to remember. How badly had the famine affected them? That was a disturbing thought. Nevertheless…

"How can an entire battlestation of beam guns not hit a single freighter?" He asked again, watching the retreating vessel and its Gundams safely moving behind a quickly scattering construction complex.

"Blast them at long range," McArver ordered.

"We can't, Commander. We are still repairing damage from the nuclear strike, we can't target at full accuracy—with all those ships."

"It doesn't matter if you destroy a few construction yards too. Get a head start and level everything."

* * *

Flit Asuno wove through a series of powerful red beams shots. A freighter blew apart as one of the beams speared through its hull; Flit dodged pieces of shrapnel as they clattered on the Gundam's armor. He glanced back, the giant fortress steadily approached, every construction yard in its path exploding in flame. He'd hoped the nuclear strike had done more internal damage with its rebounding shockwaves, but like with the Photon cannon, the Vagan constructs were more sturdily built.

"Flit, we need to land at a medical center, just because we admitted Emily to an infirmary for two minutes does not mean she is stable," Nova's voice admonished from over the comm. "Kannas can't be in any better shape."

"Well I'm trying, ok?" Flit dodged another furious barrage.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

"Lady Issishar!" Yark Dole Briar bowed low and reverently, his mask hiding the shock on his face. "I was unaware of your awakening."

"Yes," Issishar Ezelcant said slowly, looking down at Yark Dole through half-closed eyelids weighted by laziness.

"The preparations for the ships are complete. We…have gathered everything—four _Fa Raza _in total."

"You disapprove of me taking your remaining vessels," Issishar said with sigh. She rose from the couch inside the palace lounge and stretched. Inhaling a breath of fresh air, she opened her eyes and walked passed the kneeling Yark Dole. "What are the details of the ceremony?"

"Ceremony, Your-

-call me Master. Now, about my departure, you expect me to leave without a proper ceremony? I am your current leader!"

"Overlord Ezelcant always complained about pomp and such, so we do not have customs for-

-Oh my goodness," Issishar covered her face with a hand. "Not him again. My father is an utter incompetent. Fine, I shall make the arrangements. Have the entire populace assemble, if possible, along with all your noble whatevers. And get banners—lots of them, to line the ornamental rug to the transport." She paused and turned to one such standard, bearing the insignia of Second Moon.

"Is something wrong, Master?" Yark Dole asked.

"Your symbol, it's hideous." Issishar moved to the banner and contemplated ripping it to pieces. "I must have a new one, something blue, something that inspires awe. Awe is good for the populace, keeps things nice and stable." She summoned up a holopad and began to draw and color. In mere minutes, she had the preferred design. "I know you can't make these in the timetable specified, so use holoprojectors mounted on poles—hand-carried poles—I refuse to have them just standing there on supports. We have to show that even in the depths of famine we are able to show splendor and power. I will make a stereotypical speech filled with propaganda none of us will believe and inspire the people to war."

"We have made such speeches, but most of the people desire"-

-Issishar cut him off again with a noise and shook her head, closing her eyes sadly. "No, Priest Briar. You are here to _obey, _not suggest or contradict." She walked over and suddenly struck him across the face sharply, knocking off his mask, which she stepped on, the electronics inside cracking with pop. "Go! And do not question me again!"

Yark rose quickly, with more dignity than she cared for, and started for the door with the holopad trailing behind him in the form of a closed holobutton.

"Priest Briar?"

"Yes, Master Issishar?"

"Do not question my authority," she repeated quietly, barely loud enough for him to hear. "I am not Fezarl Ezelcant."

* * *

"NO! NO I wanna fight I want Yark Dole, get me Yark Dole Briar!" Decil Galette screamed wildly as a pair of workers desperately attempted to place him securely within a cold sleep chamber.

With the famine still in an uproar and the Medel Gramis family (the clan to which Medel Zant belonged), had not yet repaired their damaged Mineral Mix factories, Zoroaster Zara, under Lady Eve's orders (Issishar had wanted to take on a motherly, loving impression by using her other name, humorously), as many people as possible would enter cold sleep. Most, particularly the people who suffered the nightmares of Second Moon's underlevels or worse—the colony falls, were more than eager to accept the offer of rest.

Most—not all.

"Decil Galette, calm down," one of the priests commanded, threatening to use a stun blaster on Decil.

"NEVER! I want her, I want a rematch with that Temple Whore!"

"You will get your chance some day, when Yark Dole Briar is no longer around to interfere," Yurin L'Ciel said, marching past on her way to her own sleeping chamber. She didn't want it, but the disease coursing through her body required proper treatment and nutrients, something Second Moon did not have right now. The orphan gangs of Second Moon were also going to sleep—on her insistence.

Decil made an animalish noise and began thrashing like a berserker, "Violet! When I get out of here-

-You will never get out," Yurin said with a smug smile as she continued on, listening in pleasure to the whine Decil made as his body shook under a stun jolt.

She glanced to the side and noticed a familiar man with pale green hair. "Ryart?"

The man walked over and smiled wanly, looking for the world like a skeleton draped with a covering of flayed skin. The blue eyes glittered warmly, however. "Thank you, Priestess."

"I'm not a priestess, just a friend."

"I couldn't help hearing that kid's name. Galette was it? I'm a Galette."

"Any relation?" Yurin asked.

The man shrugged helplessly. "There's lots of people with the same last name out there, could be though. He had red hair, so it reminded me of a distant relation, she had red hair like that. Did he have a brother?"

"I'm not sure, he mentioned something about one, but I was in a hurry then."

"I won't trouble you any longer," Ryart Galette said, stepping toward a waiting sleeping pod, where the gruff woman waited, a small smile on her haggard face.

"You're a saint, child," the woman said. Smiling, she and Ryart stepped hand-in-hand into the sleeping pod, which closed slowly and sealed with a hiss.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Sargo Zone**

"This is a disgrace," Grodek said, more to himself than Largan Drace, who stood nearby. "Not a single clue after all the time I spent."

"We found the strange code transmitting to that mobile armor," Largan suggested, "that's a start."

"I-ME! With _all _my mastery of signal interception, decoding, and computer programming cannot for the life of me find where it is coming from," Grodek replied dourly. "Until we do, that is an observation, not a lead to who might be the spy."

"I say it's Gear, the half-blind mechanic," Largan pointed sideways at a bald, thin man in his thirties, tampering with a component to a Shaldoll Rogue battery pack. One of his eyes was covered by a patch, although some said there was an anti-personnel weapon hidden inside the old socket. "Or maybe he and Mozart collaborate, because he is the only one the musician attempts to associate with on a regular basis."

"Could be," Grodek said. "That you may have something there. Only I have been watching Gear for a while and even Wilma Nightflare says he is trustworthy, if perhaps deadly. There is a miniature autocannon in the socket that blasts you with explosive bullets the moment the light-sensitive trigger is uncovered from the patch."

"How do you know that?"

"Ginger and Nike snuck up on him and tried to take the patch off for fun."

"Oh." Largan waited a few uneasy moments. "So. What now?" He held up his hands helplessly. "You're the brains."

"I go back to helping Wilma uncover the data from the monoliths, so we can get out of here before SID finds us and the resulting carnage leads Luli Jasmine to us."

* * *

Nike Kingsland—inside his Shaldoll Rogue—waited patiently for SID to pass by, the gigantic mobile armor's hideous face turned to him and unleashed one of its drones. Nike held his breath and waited as the drone moved over and trained on the Shaldoll with its mooneye. After a moment, it turned around and started back passively, determining that Nike was not an illegal target.

He breathed a sigh—that never got easier—and glanced to the side as a mobile armor banked through the wreckage, darting aside almost instantly to avoid SID's detection.

"Lumia, I know you're in there," Nike growled under his breath, showing his teeth in rage. He thought of beating the sensor board, contemplating what he would do to her once he finally caught the crazed woman. Hurling her to SID was very high on the list, short of throwing her at the mercy of Mozart and whatever horrors he stored inside that hidden torture chamber Angrazzo and he insisted was on the _Nightingale._

Then he would go for _HER. _She would pay, Luli Jasmine, he swore to that.

* * *

**Forge Zone**

Flit watched as Emily stood up with the help of a nurse and went into the examination room. Flit stood after she was admitted and made his way from the hospital via a walkway connecting the public station to one of Techno Solon's many cooperate stations within the Zone. An industrial colony moved slowly passed on its way beneath the two.

"Flit," Maria Diamler called, floating across the walkway to meet him in the center.

Flit sighed, there were things he supposed he needed to tell her, and by the look on Maria's face, she suspected half of it.

* * *

**March 1****st****, AG118-Mars Sphere Second Moon, Overlord's Palace**

The crowds flocked about the open plaza beneath the marmoreal face of the palace, marble steps zigzagging down to either side and meeting at the red carpet laid out all the way to the royal cruiser, which parked within a semicircle of gold and silver mechanized gafrans, the reptilian mechanoids seemed almost smug about their new paintjobs as they gleamed in the artificial sunlight.

Blue holographic banners waved in a very faint breeze so lifelike that spectators didn't realize they were false, Issishar had not gotten her wish about live bannermen, nothing was perfect. The new ensign of Vagan marked each banner, a white star with eight long points, a black silhouette of Second Moon in its center.

Slowly, the new, white curtains opened, and Issishar Ezelcant, stepped out onto the loggia overlooking the people of Second Moon. A holoscreen appeared behind and above her instead of a physical projection per Issishar's preferences. She cleared her throat, then stepped to the railing and gripped it firmly with both hands like the edges of a podium.

"Fellow sufferers of Vagan, even as we speak Zul Dahala and our virtuous soldiers, our own families, do battle against the Federation to reclaim the Earth Sphere. This evil Federation, this wicked monstrosity that had the audacity to overthrow the old Federation government! I remember dear people of Vagan, with my own two eyes I beheld their hypocrisy!" Issishar nudged the front row's minds, softening them with her power. "They accused the Axis Federation of tyranny. They denounced it as an alliance of empires! But I say you now, it was a lie! They cast down a stable government bent on a secure society, and erected a brutal _EVIL_ in its place! What has the new Federation done! It has cast you, the descendants of those who fought in the civil war, to Mars! What as it done to its own people? It has slaughtered them systematically and tried to silently destroy _US!"_

"The Federation of today is cruel and wicked. They possess the Earth, yet they threw away their own people's technological marvels of medicine and expansion, creating a population boom that suffers from disease and crowded colonies! They have the Earth, a paradise, like an Eden to you, people born under Mars' harsh desert," she raised up one hand slowly, dramatically toward the great planet hanging above, as if she were trying to raise it up with her hand alone. "What have they done for us?" She sent her powers screaming into the minds of the first row of the crowd, causing them to scream and cry out in rage. Like dominos falling, the sea of people rippled as a thunderous roar tore through sky until Issishar felt it would shake Mars itself.

"They could have brought a greater peace than the old Federation, but they took your terraformer, your hopes for a creating a new Eden…And _Struck. That. Dream DOWN! _Are they reasonable people, should we not fight them even as our Zul Dahala is _this very minute_? Shall we let our friends and family die without our support?!"

"RHRAAAHH!" The crowds thundered, her powers no longer needed.

"If my father were awake, he would say this; 'When man faces evil, they have a choice to make, a decision to reach about who they are. They can turn a blind eye or run away, or stand against it. Both roads have consequences, but only one is right!'. I believe fervently in peace, people of Vagan, but time and again these evil Federation scum have shown their contempt for us and even their own kind they are sworn to protect!"

"H_AAAAAAH!_"

"They used their terraformer and tried to kill us all! They tried to _crush _you! They twisted your genes! They mutated our world! People of Vagan, we alone stand against this Federation, this evil of Darkness! They tried to vanquish us, but we have survived. I look at a people that has been pushed to the _brink _of starvation! To the Brink—their humanity stripped from them in the final wave of desperation! _HOWEVER! _What did I find when I awoke? Were you dead? Not at all! I saw a people, a nation that stood even when _all hope should be Lost! _You climbed over each other, and offered yourselves as sacrifices for the living, struggling onward down a road that has no end in sight."

"Ahawha," the crowd yelled, disunified by the uncertain phrasing.

"But you did not die! You Live! Even when your worlds crumbled around you, you have not been vanquished! You are strong, stronger than the perverted evil of the Earth! Shall we let our fellow Vagans fighting to reclaim paradise spill their precious blood in vain!? Shall we remain here in this hellish prison the Federation conjured from what was to be our new Eden? I do not know about all of you, but I—this _Very _Day! _Shall go there myself and fight alongside them to reclaim Eden!"_

"HHAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The thundering voices drew together into a powerful roar, the strongest yet.

"This metaphor is perfect, you see. For if Earth is an Eden to us, its Prime Minister, Fondor, is a venomous serpent. A snake!"

"SNAKE!" the crowds cried.

"A snake!"

"HAAHHHHH!"

"I, who wish to be like an Eve to you, a cherished caretaker, shall be a Pandora to these Earthlings. I go to unleash chaos on Fondor and his minions. For there is one more, a white fallen angel, the Gundam and its designer, Flit Asuno. He is a grave threat, for he came here to this _Very _colony to find my sleeping chamber and murder me, and even my esteemed father, Ezelcant!"

The deafening thunder of outrage blasted so loud the balustrade vibrated under Issishar's touch.

She spread her hands for silence, a hush fell over the host of onlookers like a spell.

"However, I and my father LIVE! I swear to you—on this monitor above me, I shall hold up the head of the horned angel_—IN TRIUMPH!" _She hurled her fist into the air.

Another deafening applause.

"Come with Me! I know your hearts, your noble spirits! Hear me people of Vagan! Will you not _join me? Take up your arms for your fallen and beloved lost lives! _Join us as we march to decimate this evil people. Show no mercy to those in front of us! Stain not your conscience by spilling the blood of people who brought this hell on us all! Join me people of VAGAN! Survivors of holocaust in the desert! Tell me who you are!"

"VAGAN!"

"Hail VAGAN!"

"HAAAIL VAAGAAN! HAAAIL VAAGAAAN!"

"_YOU ARE VAGAN! Destined to AVENGE the Wrongs of this EVIL Coalition of __**Demons**__!" _Her face flushed, she looked down upon the people—and smiled beseeching, her voice drenched with emotion. "Let us free Eden together."

As the moon shook with applause that sent the holographic flags shuddering on their poles, Issishar swept away from the marble railing and walked with long strides down the stairs from the crown of the palace to the royal red carpet below. Her flowing white dress and orange robe billowed in the breeze, highlighting her cerulean blue hair.

"EDEN!"

The orange and white matched the desert and icecaps of Mars high above, as if she were the very incarnation of the planet itself. Her silver forehead diadem rested firmly upon her brow, a pair of cheek guards wrapping about the base of her face where they almost touched at the chin.

"EDEN!"

The armor sparkled beneath the artificial sun, making her a painful figure to stare at for too long, yet eye riveting nonetheless.

"EDEN!" "EDEN!"

With a blast of the engines, her royal shuttle sealed its hatches and rose into the sky, the chords snapped and drew the crimson carpet behind it, now a bloodred flag of war, flying in the breeze.

"EDEN!"

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Forge Zone**

Maria Diamler and Flit Asuno stared down at the bustling mass of ships, platforms, containers, scrap removing robots, mobile suits, and other paraphernalia scrambling to gain distance from Zul Dahala and getting nowhere fast.

He saw a green mobile armor float down from above. "Is that a new model?"

"The Gahalan," Maria replied, her downcast eyes not looking up at the machine. "A machine we built that incorporates the Titus' physical prowess into four combat claws. They can be used as punching/bludgeoning weapons, or even shields like the Starks binders. There are two smaller spears that house a pair of beam cannons equal to a battleship. All six retract into its frame to form an arrowhead shape of sorts. It has a pair of high powered beam cannons too, and a thruster output two times the strength of the Starks."

"You don't seem enthusiastic," Flit said, not catching himself in time.

"Oh, it'll do," Maria said absently, twirling a bit of her brown hair. She looked out at the massive construction complex her family had created. A white mobile armor speeded by in the distance, but Maria already knew every line and detail of its design.

"That other armor, does it incorporate AGE technology as well?" Flit inquired.

"None I can think of. It's a design I had worked out already. A combat claw underneath the frame, a fifteen tube missile pod, a high-powered radar system for tracking things like _Darwin Stealths…_I replaced the sniper rifle with a DODS beam rifle that Madorna provided."

"I see," Flit watched as the mobile armor banked out of sight. "I'm sure with machines like these, we can halt the advance of the enemy."

"You didn't see their laser cannon. It wiped out Big Ring, it will do something similar to our stations if it wants."

"The Forge Zone is too large for a single laser, no matter how powerful," Flit countered.

"True, but what do we do about their other forces? I doubt the commander will rely on the cannon alone. Worse, there are no commanding officers in control of the fleet survivors. Is there even a Federation military to protect us? You have to understand—we produce _everything _here. From a business perspective, this was a wise move for Techno Solon to consolidate its competitors here. Militarily, we are a giant target."

"We could move the construction yards to different places," Flit suggested. He thought on that for a long moment. "Then I suppose, we would be defending no place at all, with our forces spread too thin."

"And don't forget bringing the war to the colony clusters would be a bad idea," Maria warned. "Cleansing would look like child's play if entire clusters are wrecked."

"I think I will take this up with Captain Tinel aboard the _Diva._" Flit stopped as a sickening realization crossed his mind and looked at Maria with a hard stare. "The _Diva. _Where is it?"

Maria gave Flit a wane smile. "It docked inside Yard 1 fifteen minutes ago. The entire upper portion of the ship was ruined and the plasma engines are shot—but it is undergoing repairs as we speak."

Flit breathed a sigh of relief, sure for a moment that even the stalwart battleship had been destroyed, with Adams and the others along with it. "You're mechanics are fast," was all he managed to say, unable to help but laugh.

Maria turned back to stare out at the massive construction grounds her family had created, not seeing a single bit of it. Adalbrecht Diamler was dead, her world was ganging before her eyes. But this had happened Maria more than once in her lifetime—and like all times, she would move steadily onward.

* * *

**Mars Sphere Second Moon**

"It was an astounding speech! Didn't you think so, Husband?"

"Yes, Wife," Medel Dole Gramis muttered somewhat lamely. "Can we be on with this? It's time for us to enter the capsules. These things were not worth it—billions of scales, all lost because the Leader's daughter declared it a state emergency!"

"There was little that could be done, Father," Medel Zant said, "the government had to find money to build the new cold sleep chambers."

"The problem is that another storm could wipe them out before they're even off the assembly lines," complained Medel Dole with a bit of despair. "And my fortune with them. Come dear," he led his wife toward the gaudily ornamented cold sleep pod. As he helped Medea inside, Dole turned back at Zant with an almost resigned expression. "I can't be head of the family on ice—don't get any ideas from that—so you're the clan leader now. Try to hold it respectably. If you can," he added with an almost sneer.

"Goodbye, Mother, Father," he said, keying the hatch shut as they both settled inside.

Stepping away from the capsule as it moved into a rack on Block 31, Medel Zant Gramis turned to go. He was being given a promotion upon returning to Earth. He dearly hoped it was because An Grams believed in his tactical abilities, and not the fact he had gained headship over the influential Gramis clan. Grams was a member of the family by marriage, perhaps that was the reason he had taken interest in him at all?

* * *

Zant exited the shuttle and stepped onto mobile suit deck of a _So Lin _transport, staring up at the lifeless form of his Gafran. Would he see combat again? An Grams wanted him as his personal aide. That was a high, very prestigious role, but it meant he was going to be sending other pilots into battle, like Martha. She would never in her life stop piloting because he wanted her to—anymore than he could have Frost and Mink placed in cold sleep. Vagan had to use all its resources, even if it meant placing Martha in danger. The realization that he was already not thinking like a fellow pilot, and more like a commander, galled him slightly.

"I know what you are thinking," Martha Reed said from several feet away, having stepped out of a corner. She crossed her arms. "Well, how does it feel to have all that weighty responsibility?" She wasn't smiling.

"It's difficult," Zant replied absently, wanting to avoid talking with her for the moment. He didn't know how to explain to Martha the reality he faced as he watched her Gafran falling to Mars. The emotions that welled up then, was it loss? Desperation? The shock and sudden fear that had driven all thoughts of the Gundam and the millions within the colony out of his mind, was it in that moment he realized he was falling in love with her. He hadn't known Martha for long, though fighting in a life and death struggle commonly drew people together faster.

Not for him, he was going to become An Grams' personal aide and protégé in all but name. He had abandoned an entire colony to Flit Asuno. Six million people—the people he had sworn to protect, some of whom were possibly relatives of Martha—all to save one woman. He could not allow himself to make that kind of selfish choice again, it was a weakness and could cost Vagan the war and untold lives of soldiers. No, _his _soldiers. Thankfully Yurin L'Ciel had been there to correct his mistake, but he could not count on her doing so again.

"Proud that your father gave you your inheritance I take it," Martha continued, obviously nonplussed by his apparent lack of interest.

"Not really, it is a hard burden to bear, every step I take must not shame the clan name."

"I get it," she said, her face setting into a sudden scowl of anger. "So now you can't associate with a sick commoner like me is that it?!"

"Wh-what?" He started, turning quickly. "No, of course not!"

"Don't play dumb. You're concentrating real hard on being apathetic and stony, like some walking bust of your clan founder or something. Don't worry, _Lord __**Gramis**__,_" she said humbly, genuflecting in a dramatic flare. "I promise not to remain in your presence unless it is absolutely necessary."

"Martha, cut it out. You know how I feel about my family, remember that talk we had on-

-Oh, yes. My family, the people you left behind on Keshae colony while you went after me like an _idiot. _The family that isn't here anymore, thanks to the Federation. You know I didn't want to talk about it! If this is how you want to treat me, fine then," Martha spun and away and marched out of the room, leaving a confused Zant to stare after her for a long moment, before he realized this was for the best.

"Fine then, don't talk to me again! A commoner like you doesn't understand the responsibility!" He shouted, whirling away himself. After a few moments, he was inside his Gafran, arms folded in the darkness as he tried to resist the urge to apologize. How could he live like this? He had to, that was a reality he—and Martha needed to face. She was honestly angered at what he had done, and Zant didn't blame her one bit.

* * *

Martha stormed through the halls, her sharp mind already ticking. She wasn't sure, but it looked to her like Zant wanted her to walk away. Why? She knew him enough to know that they had been growing close over the course of the war. Did he find their relationship a hindrance now? That thought made her boil with rage, even though she understood why. If he took precautions for her sake over the safety of his comrades, it would not end well at all for him later when the casualties rose because of his actions. But still, didn't he trust her?

She looked down and rubbed her wrist. She hadn't really been that great a pilot so far. Maybe she needed to show him how much of her own weight she could pull. _It's not like I have much else to lose, except time. _He would find out, if he hadn't caught her slip of the tongue already. Just another casualty of Mars. Somewhere, she prayed there was a soul working on a solution to the terraformer. Until it was destroyed, there was no telling how many more would die by its wicked affects.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Sargo Zone**

"Saved and filed," Grodek muttered as he finished up some last minute work on his terraformer project. It was coming slow with years to go—one did not simply just recreate a complicated planetary upheaval program. Especially with limited processing and computing power of an AG computer core, a totally different animal from what came before the treaty.

He stretched and sat back in the chair. What happened at the Forge Zone would affect the course of the war. However, what happened here, with the EXA-DB, and his decisions, could impact far more.

"Do I give the coordinates to Ract Elfamel?" He muttered. "Or do I find the EXA-DB on my own?"

* * *

**Forge Zone, Adamantine Fleet, the **_**Rondo**_

Angelo Enreze awoke with a start from the buzzer in his brain. A vague, almost whisper of a thought spake in his mind. _The Gundam, must destroy the Gundam._ He dressed, and stopped to take in a glass of cold water. He stepped out of the room, maneuvering around a fellow crew member. The Veinidorr required maintenance the lower left power conduit to the legs were performing at only a quarter their efficiency three meters up the foot was a scratch in the armor that must be corrected panoramic monitor panel number 01253D needed replacing before chances of shorting out during combat increased chances of efficiency loss-

-Angelo!" Telemari Agori yelled, right into his ear. Her hand was grabbing his shoulder, although Angelo hadn't noticed.

"Ensign, there is no need to shout," Angelo assured her calmly. Telemari didn't usually get so excited. He glanced around at his surroundings, why was he in the hall? He frowned at Telemari's worried face. "Was I sleepwalking?"

"You must have been," Telemari said with a fake smile, although it might have been genuine relief, from the exhalation she made. "And in your uniform too."

"My"-he looked down to find that his form-fitting, black uniform was indeed on his body, along with the dark blue robe wrapped around his neck roman-style, the remaining length trailing behind his left shoulder according to his rank.

His gloves were missing though. Why had he not worn them? Because they were unnecessary for uplink to the interface. It was time to go the—he shook his head.

"Are you not feeling well?" Telemari asked, stepping over, "your morning greetings don't usually involve totally ignoring me, and you usually know whether you dressed before stepping out of the cabin."

"Morning greetings," Angelo said, blinking in mild surprise. "Come to think of it, why are you greeting me every morning?"

"You haven't noticed I was doing it for the past _year and a half_?"

"Yes, but…it..never connected," he said slowly. He was not realizing something, something important about her. About people in general. "I'm sorry, I should go; maintenance on the Veinidorr is not done."

"Alright, stopping you is always impossible as it is," she said with a hopeless sigh. "I'll see you in the briefing room."

"Yes," he replied. Briefing room? He nodded to assure her he knew what she meant by that phrase. He was already briefed on the mission, thanks to the Veinidorr's mission objective update. Why would he go to a "briefing room"?

* * *

**Tycho Crater base, Adamantine**

An Grams stood on the commander's podium inside the control center, a gigantic holoscreen giving him absolute view of the crater beneath. Contrary to his original plan—and the consternation of the shield designers—Kratos had revealed that upon firing its laser cannon, the entire wall heated enough to liquefy, or at least become unstable. Outside a gravity well, this was not as much an issue. But the Moon still possessed enough force to pull the shield down into the crater, where it had crystallized down the sides, and over the whole basin with an impervious shell that made use of the tunnels _impossible _'till someone figured out a way to cut through super-heard allotropes. The hyperdiamond cutters had been dulled and eventually reduced to powder with only millimeter deep gouges to show for the sacrifice.

And the shield generators were covered too, and totally melted by the superheated crystal they had generated, which meant he needed to construct an entirely new shield array before he could reestablish control over the crater surface. The plan was to turn Tycho into the first Lunar city; Vega II, but of course, that was a pipedream now, thanks to the engineering oversight.

To his credit, the blunder belonged to the technicians, who told him _blatantly _that Kratos could diffuse heat sufficiently enough with the scattered diamond launched in the laser. Well, all that had done was rob the shield of what stability it had left, which might not have done any good regardless, considering most of the wall had been reduced to what looked like blue slushy.

The tunnels had not collapsed, thank goodness, because he had been using a Kratos shielding along the point of impact (to test the effectiveness the shield had against nuclear weaponry) to preserve the transport route.

Now this left the tunnels open for the Federation to reenter, which they had. Sadly, his bombing of the tunnels had not rid him of the Federation bypass shaft they used to enter in the first place. Now that was fortified and he needed to enact a siege to properly remove them if he hoped to ship supplies safely through of the supply routes again.

And then there was this whole campaign against Earth's construction yards. Although he hated to admit it, his commanders were right; the Vagan must capture the Forge Zone as intact as possible, not overwhelm it with firepower and blast it to stardust as was his and Medel Zant's original intent. Vagan simply required more than Adamantine's budding war factories to sustain itself. The Federation had massed its primary industrial potential in one open location vulnerable to attack; it was an opportunity no one in the military save himself would pass up. An Grams might agree, were it not for Zant's smart warning that with Vagan's limited resources, the more time the Federation had to improve and build, the more and more uphill the battle would go for Vagan.

The Forge Zone was big, if they didn't hit hard and heavy, it was going to take time to subdue the enemy construction yards. Worse, they might start moving the factories to different parts of the Earth Sphere, where An Grams and his limited resources could not reach them without severe cost.

* * *

**Forge Zone, Adamantine Fleet, the **_**Rondo**_

Mink stretched and removed the towel from her crisp, clean body. It felt _good _to be free of sweat, of odor, of all encumbrances. If only she had, well, a lot of things. She plopped her naked body down on the bed and put her hands over her eyes as she imagined what walking on Earth would be like in her bare feet. Better than the underlevels. Better than anywhere on Mars—with pure, real gravity weighing her down, and not this fake stuff.

She imagined finding her namesake and taking it on as a pet. Maybe she could even find a waterfall. Who knew, maybe she'd fall in love some day and have a family with some dude out there in the wide world. Not that it mattered for now, she couldn't get to Earth, or any of those places she'd heard about, like waterfalls and mountain ranges. Mountains! She heard they were gigantic, bigger than colonies and more lovely too, with green forests and more animals than she could count.

Mink licked her lips as she got up and pulled on her clothes, in the mean time, she could still slaughter Earthers to her heart's content. Filthy things didn't deserve the Earth, not after all they'd done to her.

It was time to get Frost and head to the briefing room. He was asleep, had been for a whole day since Zul Dahala came back. No one knew why, but she planned to find out.

* * *

"Frost!" Mink banged on his door. "Open Now or I'll prick your brain with my powers and keep you from sleeping! I'll do it Frost!" She waited. Mink opened a holocrono and realized she had been waiting _patiently _for the whole of thirty seconds. _Totally not cool, ice bastard. _"That does it," she said, unleashing a torrent of power from her mind. Concentrating it, she found Frost's surprised presence and dove for it like an animal pouncing on its prey. _Get up! _She roared furiously, grabbing at his thoughts of protest. He was dressing, it felt like, or perhaps was straightening that long hair of his, she couldn't tell with all the frantic interference.

_MIIINK! I deserve some privacy, dammit! _He replied angrily, mentally conjuring a picture of himself before her, scowling venomously.

_I can't see you, what's the big deal; you're late. I've been waiting for Thirty Seconds!_

_So what? I hate people prying into my mind without permission._

_Just open the door. It's time to leave. And what's got you all frazzled this time?_

The door slid open, allowing Frost to storm out like a released tornado, dark purple hair flying about his head. "Idiot! Hyperactive pathetic little _rat!_" he tried to push her down, but she jumped back in time, surprised at the fury that was not quite as apparent in his thoughts.

"What's the big deal!?" She demanded, throwing up her hands in her own growing rage, "You can't push me!"

"Stand still and let me _prove _it," Frost commanded seriously, stomping forward to make a second attempt.

"Hey, what's got you so mad?" She asked, edging toward her cabin.

"Someone like you wouldn't care. You're just some orphan off the streets," Frost said, his eyes wide. "The Gundam's _mine_. Don't ever think of getting in the way out there, until I have its head. Understand?"

Mink nodded wordlessly as Frost loomed over her.

"Good," without another word, Frost turned and started down the hall toward the briefing room.

* * *

**Forge Zone, Federation base, Shelter 7**

"The Gundams are ready for battle as they'll ever be," Milias Alloy said to Flit Asuno as they both floated on the railing, staring up into the faces of their respective machines, outfitted with the Starks and Razor Wears.

"It sounds as though Mars made an impression on you," Milias said.

"They must be destroyed. The Vagan must not be allowed to plague the Earth Sphere anymore," Flit said with a determined face. "The Gundam can do it, the AGE System can keep improving our technology. If the Federation government will allow it."

"Ah yes, the Silver Chalice Treaty," Ivon Alfenoa said, floating past. He looked down at Milias and Flit as they scowled up at him. "I doubt the world order set in place over a century ago is about to collapse overnight. If you want to create better weapons than the Gundam, you'll have to fight a war against red tape first." He stopped by his machine and entered its cockpit, a HARO unit went sailing out a moment later, screaming its protest.

Flit pushed over the railing of the catwalk toward the Gundam. It was time to get ready for whatever the Vagan threw at them. Emily was being sent away to the recently reconstructed Colony Tordia for treatment. She would heal, safe away from this conflict. He didn't know how long this whole thing would last, but he planned to end it as quickly and decisively as possible.

* * *

**The **_**Diva**_

"I expect nothing less than a relentless wall of resistance against the Vagan," Cedrick Fondor said from across the screen at Captain Adams Tinel, who set in his office, trying to keep a neutral expression. Fondor raised a hand, "I know our resources are scattered and low, but give us a little time here at Yard 3. We are trying to decide who is going to take the place of Admirals Sireneen and Kindle. The loss of Barnabas has left a rather gaping hole with few to fill it. Boenov—as Rear Admiral—must remain to keep the colonies in order. An attack there could come at any moment should the Vagan resume their colony extermination policies. Besides, I do not trust Kleig Boenov to handle the situation successfully, he is too simplistic and cautious."

Fondor cleared his throat, "Until then, I have gathered the generals here to share the responsibility. We have no real fleet to control, other than the ships being produced by Techno Solon. I have good news in this, not to worry. The capital ship _Fortuna _will be operational within the next twenty four hours. Please repel the enemy until then."

Adams closed his eyes as he stared at the blank screen. The Forge Zone was a mass of industrial complexes from mineral refineries to construction stations. They were grouped into either Berms or Yards. The former being privately owned industrial sites. The latter were made for Techno Solon and its various arms, like its colony builder projects and R&D institutions. Both Berms and Yards were designated by buoys and patrolled by scrap collectors.

Now the entire organized chaos of the Forge Zone was coming together in one frantic pile as private owners desperately tried to avoid what became of the Madorna Berm, which ended up a mass of wreckage, thanks to Zul Dahala.

"Captain Tinel," a voice called from his intercom, "the enemy fortress has begun launching mobile suits!"

"I'll be right there, Ahley. Prepare our own forces for launch and contact General Ermings for orders." He rose quickly from his chair and started for the bridge, so long as he was at Shelter 7, he would follow Ermings' lead. There was really no other choice; never could Kindle and Sireneen share their authority equally without constant fighting, neither could the three Generals now, especially with the hard-headed Galileo Stone among them.

* * *

Genoace II flashed through space, their red armor glowing as they passed by innumerable masses of transports and other vessels fleeing for safety. The differing Yards and Berms were dissolving as everyone massed their facilities together in a game to see who could put theirs behind the rest.

As Milias hurled through this desperate—and deadly-obstacle course, she realized it reminded her of a game of Tetris. Only she was in it, going _up_.

Her alarm suddenly blared a frantic warning, and she sent the Razor Gundam into a tight turn, narrowly dodging a fast-coming cargo carrier shaped like a box. The halo flashed above, locking her eyes on a violet storm of light flashing in the darkness far above the crazed chaos of maneuvering ships and stations.

Without a moment's delay, the missiles dropped on their targets and turned the frantic chaos, into a brutal maelstrom of flame and shrapnel.

* * *

Inside the Starks Gundam, Flit saw the halo rippling in his peripheral vision as the incoming occupants of the Forge Zone started exploding. A _Messich _class freighter was struck by a burning chunk from a space station, sending it spinning. The long, gigantic rectangular vessel swatted ships aside like a bat does a ball, sending dozens of unfortunate worker pods screaming at the Starks, which deftly maneuvered through them.

A missile fell just a few feet away, unleashing a blinding flash of light. Flit barrelrolled to the side, his halo growing frantic as it screamed danger from every turn. The Starks hit something—the side of a Nans Sobis construction station—he spun the dark blue Gundam around.

Small swarms of Gafran mobile suits flashed down, dragon-like wings spread and pulsing with flashes of violet light. A _Fa Raza _materialized in a tracery of blue lines, unleashing a salvo of beam fire from every turret as it revealed itself from the cloak. Flit watched the Nans break apart in torrents of metal. He sent the Starks to the side, only right into another wave of flying debris that struck the Starks' right leg. Ignoring a damage siren he slalomed through the flotsam, dodging a wave of beam fire from several Gafrans as they trained on him with their tail cannons. He blocked with his shoulder binders and rushed up, twirling the Reiber.

A beam knocked the spear away—and a yellow Zedas dashed in, visor line lighting up with a yellow hue.

_You're in for some pain, Gundam_, a female voice called, Flit saw an image of some feral animal growling at him. He willed the apparition away and boosted backwards, grabbed the Reiber and launched the hammer into the Zedas—it wildly spun back and launched itself down further into the maelstrom, firing beam machinegun blasts at a team of Genoace II rushing up to support the Starks.

Then Flit saw a pair of cold, ruthless dark eyes staring at him in silent hatred, cold as ice. He realized the sensation was being influenced by the X-Rounder, and snarled back. _Who are you? Come and face me. Or are you going to hide behind your thought projections? _While waiting for the answer, Flit swept forward, the Gundam weaving fantastic maneuvers through the slough of tangled metal, pieces of flotsam panging off the dark blue armor.

The halo rippled, forcing Flit's vision to focus to his lower right, where a black Farsia rushed up, violet beam sabers drawn, visor line pulsing dangerously. It arrayed its pyramid funnels in an arc over its head and charged.

_Flit Asuno! I'll kill you!_

Flit scowled derisively and swept aside as a Gafran rushed in with a torso cannon shot. He launched the Reiber into the enemy's back, impaling the machine. He yanked the flailing Gafran back and right into the Farsia's violet chest cannon blast.

Parting the firewall with a blast of white exhaust as it charged through, The Starks erupted through the flames and slashed with its saber, scoring a scratch along the Farsia's arm as it barely drew it back in time. The other hand of the Vagan machine gestured, sending two funnels zipping by the Gundam too fast to see clearly, firing saffron bursts of energy. Flit dove the Gundam down and went into a barrelrolling spiral, flipping the DODS bazooka up to fire in the process—the brilliant sphere of light slammed into the side of a passing _Messich. _The Farsia dashed down after the Gundam, dodging the DODS bazooka blast by a narrow margin. The resulting shrapnel from the freighter slammed into the machine's back as Flit abruptly U-turned, catching it off its guard as Flit stabbed with the Reiber.

"You _will pay_ for what you've done, Federation murderer!" The pilot screamed, a boy perhaps Flit's own age.

"You're not much of a threat to be making one," Flit countered, using the Reiber like a flail as it spiraled frantically around the Farsia. In a flash, the two machines were rushing in a mad dance into the thick of the melee of ships and mobile suits, dodging missile detonations and beam fire. Flit stabbed with the Reiber, snapping the black sword in two as the Farsia tried to block. The black machine unleashed a volley of funnel fire, forcing Flit backward. He unleashed a wave of missiles from the Starks' binder and rushed in, twirling his spear as energy powered up around its point. "If anyone dies today, it's you!"

"We'll see!" Frost countered, letting the flight base sweep under its feet. The machines matched blades, blow for blow in a dance of glittering sparks.

* * *

**Sargo Zone, the Shadow**

Luli Jasmine sat in her office, which doubled as the second bridge to the ship, listening to the reports streaming in from the battlefield. This was her chance, and she had Raven 2 stationed to deliver some quick, decisive blows. That sniveling viper Cedrick had tricked her. Apparently, he was quite capable of handling the situation with his own powers. Well, now there was an opening for her to exploit. Of the three generals, Stone was the most ambitious. Because of this, he had made some blunders in his career and was looking at a bleak future without a single promotion in sight. Ermings was ancient, but competent; he didn't want the Admiralty, even when it was offered on a silver platter to him by a previous Prime Minister, leaving him a dangerous element that needed removal. Tamae was a blank slate and so Jasmine decided he should also be removed for good measure. With his only two competitors gone, Stone would become Admiral and it would all be thanks to her. He would learn that quickly, and would be exploited through his dependency, especially when Fondor decided on the next Admiral.

Because in a war like this, the position of Fleet Admiral would eventually emerge, and Stone would do _anything _to get it—or rather, do anything for _her._ "How will you handle this, Cedrick Fondor? Stone was no friend of yours in the past. Will he catch you off your guard?" The political climate was growing unstable. The people were more divided than the military and Cedrick thought over the Mars colonization issue, and the silly story the media fed about a volcanic asteroid phenomena was believed only by those who had less than no brains. Something was up, the people realized, and Cedrick Fondor, would soon be fighting a two front war, one a forgiving battle of tactics, the other the ruthless icy slope of politics.

"Will _I _catch you off your guard?" The laughed into the darkness. Eventually, they would all pay for awakening her ire.

* * *

**Forge Zone, collision point**

The _Diva _rushed from the hanger of the asteroid base of Shelter 7, making for Yard 3, where General Tamae had devised for the _Diva _to be refitted with its Photon cannon. Apparently, Cedrick was willing to ignore the Silver Chalice Treaty if the weapons were strictly off the record. A good thing for him because come election season, the other politicians would be spewing dirt like breaking the most sacred of laws at him in a frenzy.

In the chaos of colliding forces, Vagan, industrial, and Federation, no one noticed the sleek ship leave the chaos.

"General, we are under General Tamae's orders to report to Yard 3," Adams insisted, even as the ancient old man on the other screen scowled with the ferocious energy of an enraged twenty year old.

"You told me that I was going to be your supervising officer! You have to make up your mind who's jurisdiction you fall under Adams Tinel."

"I am sorry, Sir. Tamae assures me this will not take long."

"It had better not."

As the screen went dark, Adams turned to his comm. operator, "Ahley, tell Nova she is to come with us as escort, have Kannas remain at Shelter 7—I don't want to leave Ermings in the lurch."

The _Diva _continued on, prow pointed at Yard 3 where its most powerful weapon awaited. As it did, Adams and the rest of the bridge crew did a double-take of the ships moving directly below them. One was a _Diva _class, blue hulled and with a third catapult deck between its conventional two. It also seemed to sport at least four more guns on its hull and the bow he could see—its starboard side, seemed to have quite a few more anti-MS guns.

There were three other _Diva _carriers, but they only had two catapult decks and were in their assault landing modes, each sporting what looked like…Photon cannons! Adams sat back and breathed a small sigh of relief. He knew that this wouldn't ultimately make a gigantic difference in the battle, but it would stave the enemy off long enough for Techno Solon to ready more ships.

Even as he thought this, the _Diva _passed Yard 4, where it looked like hundreds of _Darwin _class vessels were being armored. To his mild surprise, the nearly completed versions looked most similar to a small _Diva, _with a single catapult rather than two or three. He frowned. If the enemy knew of these construction yards, they were going to attack them soon, while the Federation ships were vulnerable.

* * *

With a flash of its eyes and crest, the Razor Gundam hurtled down from behind a broken construction robot the size of a warship, hurling its boomerang into an unsuspecting Baqto, impaling it through the chest.

Nearby, a large, hammer-shaped vessel broke in two along its shaft, an Abigel pushed through the blaze and turned its head this way and that, a spark of light running from one end of its visor line to another.

"Gundam!" A voice boomed from the comm.

Rtrtrtrtrt-

-Milias shook her head to clear it as the Razor looked up at the approaching Veinidorr. Removing the boomerang, Milias sent her loyal machine flying at the enemy as Angelo Enreze deployed his beam saber and slashed wildly. The two combatants exchanged a series of testing sword blows, then rocketed away as a bazooka round sailed past, then suddenly turned back toward Milias in a quick arc. She launched a shoulder blade at it, slicing the warhead in half and letting it detonate. Jets of pure plasma flew from the sphere like solar flares, the Razor rocketed to the side only just in time, thanks to Milias' forewarning.

Inside the cockpit of the Veinidorr, Angelo dodged and weaved through a slew of beam bolts a pair of green Shaldoll pumped down at him from above, unleashing a pair of missiles that tracked the pair down through the wreckage and blasted them apart. Those were the last of the mental-control missiles, the others were standard issue and could not be used any better than homing weapons. The reaction time was too slow to use against an X-Rounder. He struggled, this was a Gundam, but not the right one. But why? It was a target of the Vagan…the ticking in his mind grew louder, so he stopped thinking about it and dashed at the Razor as it deployed its Mantis claws and roared up, matching blade for blade.

There was a pulsing light, and a powerful column of energy separated the two combatants—the Abigel hovered not far away, its chest cannon glowing ominously. It raised its hand and fired a stream of blue bolts at the Gundam.

"Veinidorr pilot, please allow me to assist," the Abigel's pilot called through the comm. "The damage is growing too much—and we have objectives to complete."

"Primary objective one," Angelo realized, nodding his affirmation. "I must defend the assault transports as they land on Industrial Colony Amatha. They must all survive. I will obey at once."

Without preamble the two machines flashed their visor lines and darted after the Razor.

Inside the Gundam, Milias readied herself and crouched the Gundam, its Mantis claws moving into a defensive stance. The Abigel struck first, firing a stream of long, thin blue beams from its open palm.

* * *

When Zul Dahala appeared without warning, many owners of the private construction yards—or Berms as they were called, immediately began moving further away, toward Shelter 7 and to Yard 3, where they could request formally that Techno Solon allow them to take their equipment away from the threatened Forge Zone. The commanding general, Ermings, refused on the grounds that he needed them all together so he could protect them more easily instead of having a bunch of wondering construction yards like Madorna's Workshop to guard.

Because of this, Berms 9 through 23 converged on Shelter 7 at the time of enemy attack, and became a horrifying, shifting field of metal and ever growing shrapnel.

The Vagan were at an advantage in this fight, as the Gafran's superior sensor suite allowed it to react more quickly to incoming debris. Moreover, where shrapnel in general is still dangerous to any mobile suit, the Vagan machines, with their harder armor, were at lass of a risk than the comparably fragile Shaldoll and Genoace II, who's pilots could only rely on their own, incredible human eyesight and skill to dodge the majority of the shrapnel, while the Gafran's AI helpfully assisted in steering itself through the ever growing chaos.

Missiles exploding from all directions, crews in their ships jellied to death by shockwaves—or radiation from nuclear weaponry—molten, sharp, bludgeoning, and stabbing pieces of every conceivable metal debris imaginable growing with every passing second of battle. Mobile suits wheeled through the debris, their desperate, individual battles becoming a single, cohesive melee where no one but X-Rounders could find their way; the fleet of ships struggling to get through, finally resorted in adding to the disaster by firing through the mess, sometimes striking their own cruisers on the other side, as sensors became a joke.

This kind of fighting was to become the standard for the campaign, and the history books, if they are ever written by someone else besides me will be call this struggle Vulcan's Anvil, where the Federation forces were struck down against the anvil of their smithies and the hammer of the Vagan.

I do not know how I survived those times, in what would become known as the Five Year Siege, a bloody, more desperate battle even than the Long Siege of Fardain. For the sake of you, Kio, or whoever will read this long story, I shall detail only highlights I have pieced together from the fragments of my memory; there is not much I recalled even shortly after those events.

Who knows, as the story tells itself to you, it might reveal things I never witnessed myself. History is strange, when viewed in hindsight. Read on, through one of the most confusing, deadly fights of the war: the opening battle of the Five Year Siege—Flit Asuno, date AG173

* * *

Kio put down the piece of paper. "Grandpa?"

"Yes Kio?"

"Are you sure your story is accurate? You described Yurin L'Ciel as a psychopathic madwoman with Nanos-zsells covering her body, but your journal here says she wasn't anything like that."

"Let me see that," Flit jerked the piece of paper away and read carefully, eyes roving from line to line quickly. "Bah," he ripped out the page in his journal and crumpled it, throwing it into the campfire before Kio could react, "A type O."

"It sounds like your verbal version is more biased than what you wrote at the time," Kio admonished politely, "can I just read the journal entries, please?"

Flit threw the whole journal into the fire, the light reflecting off his goggles, turning them red as he lowered them over his eyes. "Kio, trust me, if my account is anything, it is unbiased."

He continued watching the flames burn away his life's story. "The next battle was one of the worst I ever fought."

"The worst?" Kio asked, mildly surprised.

Flit seemed to lose himself in a painful memory. "No, there was one even more terrible to me," he smiled and looked at Kio, pulling up the goggles, "But that's not my part of the story. Let me tell you mine first, before moving on to the days of your father. This one, definitely, was the worst I had faced yet—when I met the Vagan princess on the battlefield, in _that _mobile suit."


	27. Chapter 26 The Legendary Gundam

_**Chapter Twenty Six The Legendary Gundam**_

* * *

**March 2****nd****, AG118-Earth Sphere Solon Colony Cluster, Forge Zone**

An Abigel soared through a steady volley of sizzling beam fire, leveling off its bazooka at the three _Darwins _unleashing all their firepower on the Abigel and its allies. The pilot watched as the glowing blue targeting reticle locked onto the left _Darwin, _which jutted out ahead of the rest, the reticle changed color and shape smoothly from a square to a red circle with a small bar indicating estimated distance. With a click, the Vagan fired two warheads at the _Darwin _and swung up and around a series of DODS blasts, unleashing a powerful Gatling stream from the Abigel's chest that tore apart three Shaldoll, the beams easily ripping through their shields.

Meanwhile, the targeted _Darwin _broke apart under the blast of the bazooka shells, plasma jest shot like fired munitions at the side of the adjacent _Darwin, _punching one, two—six holes in its side before it finally buckled inward as vacuum drew out its compliment of air—the entire upper segment of the ship disappeared in a plume of flame.

"Back me up!" A Shaldoll pilot screamed, rushing down at the Abigel—hearing the pilot's voice on the tapped comm., the Abigel's pilot fired a stream of ion blasts from the cannons on its wrists, which replaced the standard beam machinegun for a more powerful weapon that could disrupt enemy systems quite nastily. The blasts pierced the Shaldoll's shield, but didn't pass through. The green mobile suit flung aside its shield to knock a globule of molten metal sailing its way and activated its beam saber, focusing the power into a smaller, thicker five meter long knife that shimmered with a blue violet hue.

The Abigel flung itself backward, letting the firepower from the _Darwins _act as a shield. Its torso glowed brighter as power increased. Nearby, a black and dark grey Genoace Fortress hurtled out of the debris, covered in cooling pieces of molten metal, its two main beam cannons leveled. A moment later and the crimson beam blasts flew from the barrels, striking a Gafran squarely and blowing it to pieces.

The Abigel glanced at the enemy and pilot swung its cannon around to unleash a vaporizing beam. The Fortress vanished, its dying explosion launching a flash of particles from the pillar like miniature stars.

* * *

A wave of beam fire swept down on Flit Asuno, but the wreckage took the blasts. Again and again, he tried to reach the Farsia and its furious pilot. Again and again, the seething labyrinth stopped him.

Without warning, a _Darwin _went charging past, firing its beam guns through the mess, destroying a whole squadron of Genoace II in the process as it aimed at a very large, almost knife-shaped piece of shrapnel heading its way.

Cursing, Flit blocked a sudden saber slash as a Gafran swooped down. It drew back, transformed to dragon mode and fired a blast from its diffuse emitter, nearly claiming the Gundam on its pilot's kill list. Flit angled away, the Gafran disappearing as it dodged the wreckage. He was nearing Shelter 7 now, the asteroid was bean-shaped and a pale, bright color like the Moon had been before the volcanic activity turned its surface a darker hue.

There were—to his surprise—three _Diva _class vessels, one blue with three catapult decks, one olive green and navy blue, and the third tan and brown.

He swirled the Razor around, using his homing beacon rather uselessly for the Amembo, which had brought him the Wear. Unfortunately, it and possibly the Starks were missing for good in that chaos.

"The Amembo is most likely disabled or unable to move at this present time," Haro mentioned helpfully.

"I thought I switched you off," Flit complained, flipping the mute control.

"Gundam, is this the _Diva's _AGE-1?" A voice crackled from the comm. "We have multiple MS attacking Amatha, go to their assistance at once!"

"Who's this?" Flit asked, the halo rippled around his peripheral, sending him at full speed toward the carriers as they unleashed waves of high-powered beam fire.

"This is the captain of the _Amadeus, _the _Delaware _and _Marko _can hold off the advancing fleet for now, all available mobile suits should assist-

-no, I mean, what's Amatha?" Flit corrected, dodging a pulsing beam blast from a Baqto as it rushed in. At the same time, his senses warned him of Frost successfully exiting the collision point.

He angled away from the Baqto as it fired its charged chest cannon. Flit moved beneath the fire of the _Diva _ships as they began redirecting their fire to cover the Baqto. Multiple enemies were swarming down from around the collision point, although it was becoming very clear now that it would only grow in size.

Flit felt a tingle and looked up in time to see Zul Dahala itself uncloak. The olive _Diva _angled itself upward, a blinding pillar of light erupted toward the floating fortress, forcing Flit to turn away from the Photon cannon, opened his eyes a moment later—just in time to save his life by somersaulting over a saber slash from an Abigel. The red machine darted back, pumping Gatling fire at him.

Flit kept going, desperately performing whatever maneuver he could to keep away from the steady trail of beam fire angled at him. There was a pause, then a bazooka shell raced up from behind—Flit angled his beam rifle back and impaled the missile on a DODS beam, the spinning attack sucked in the plasma jets, sparing him the effort of dodging that as well as friendly fire and the added swarm of missiles that came racing and arcing in from the debris field.

Flit looked to find Jegga missile launchers had made their way through the field and were positioning themselves about the debris for protection from beam blasts.

Flit glanced at the Abigel as it tore apart the tan and brown _Diva's _port catapult arm and stern with a powerful beam cannon blast, coupled with a series of bazooka shells.

The blue _Diva _harried the Abigel and several Gafran with anti-MS fire, forcing them back toward the debris. Several _Darwins _arrived then, passing toward the collision point. Flit noticed Haro was wagging his ears angrily, and he switched off the mute.

"Finally! Ensign—the coordinates to the manufacturing colony are here. You will have to get passed the Farsi"-

-Flit muted Haro again and swept forward, glancing up to see Zul Dahala descending, one side glowing and releasing air like a wound. Missiles and beam fire fell like rain and hail, turning the world into a dance of glowing rods of light and stars. Flit pushed the Razor to maximum speed, wishing he had kept the Starks—then remembering it had not been too useful inside the collision point, where agility was needed over speed.

"I need something that does _both-_

-Flit Asuno, you thought you could run!" Dole Frost yelled over the comm. as the Farsia rushed in, its flight base attached to its funnel binder instead of its feet. The two machines collided, the Farsia losing both legs to the Razor's Mantis claws. Frost cursed and jetted back, funnels firing from behind the debris, staying out of range and sight.

"Clever," Flit muttered.

* * *

**Shelter 7, hanger bay**

"Hey," a mechanic called, pointing at Genoace II sitting comfortably inside a hanger brace. "This thing isn't damaged! Where's the pilot?"

Another mechanic shrugged and started shouting orders as a giant, multi-clawed mobile armor moved inside, pieces of shrapnel melted to the hull.

* * *

General Ermings, a white haired man with pale, vibrant steel eyes watched as Zul Dahala settled just above his own station, releasing torrents of crimson beam fire onto the asteroid. The three _Diva _class were furiously fighting a barrage of missile from scurrying launchers and strafing runs from Gafran and Abigel mobile suits. His mobile suit force was small, and his _Darwins _were on the _other _end of the field, originally sent to stop the battlestation from getting here. At least they could hold off the Adamantine Fleet, which had yet to make a decisive move as of yet.

Ermings put a liver spotted hand to his head. Why was he feeling so faint all of a sudden? Water, he had asked for some water from his aide, but the boy hadn't returned. Strange as it was, Ermings decided there was little to be done. "Picard, I'm going to get a drink of water. My head is—killing me. I can't think like this. Have our missiles target the Jegga, the battleships won't last that long. And get our mobile armor back out there! Target the new red types, they have the most firepower."

He exited the command room, scratching his chin at the lack of guards posted at the door. He turned a corner to find a vender on the other side. He heard someone behind him, and spun around quickly to find a figure in a pilot's suit striking with a combat knife.

* * *

"You're always getting in the—way," Milias grunted, shoving the Veinidorr back. She leveled off her DODS rifle at a pair of Abigels dashing through the debris toward her as the Veinidorr spiraled helplessly through the debris; one Abigel launching a storm of missiles from its tail instead of the deadly bazooka rounds she was used to by now. A third Abigel surged up at a distance, chest cannon spitting a constant stream of fire at a group of Genoace Fs, their big cannons blazing crimson bolts at a _So Lin _following the retreating Amatha colony.

Milias flew toward the colony, determined not to lose it, beam fire from mounted turrets along its hull peppering the space around her with red bolts of light. Not far away, the Veinidorr activated its brilliant beam sword and hurtled at her.

"See, without me you'd be dead," Woolf Enneacle called, the G-Exes rushing between two Abigels, who pitched to either side as they fruitlessly veered away from the pure white Gundam's beam longsabers. The rose colored beams severed both machines at the torso. In a flash, the G-Exes dashed in, spearing one in the face and slicing the other diagonally across its chest as it released its escape pod and fired with its Gatling. The diffuse emitter overloaded and blew apart, pelting Woolf's machine with pieces of glowing debris, which he blocked with his shield.

Inside the cockpit, Woolf turned toward the Veinidorr and dashed up at the enemy machine as it slashed wildly at Milias with desperation in every swing. "Milias, take care of the ship, I'll deal with this one."

His alarm blared, and he threw the G-Exes upside down, firing his DODS rifling quickly at a yellow and black Zedas trying to sneak in from the rear. Visor line flashing saffron, the Zedas reared back beside a Defurse, which fired its fully charged cannon straight at Woolf's face.

* * *

"I can't get them," cursed Ewen Winter, dodging a series of missiles that ended up getting caught in the shrapnel. Another two Jegga missile launchers flashed passed, their insectoid legs grabbing hold of ship fragments and scurrying behind them—jumped from hiding spot to hiding spot on their way to Shelter 7.

"They're like fleas in a rug," admitted Ivon Alfenoa, his Sylph missing an arm from where a piece of jetsam had torn apart the limb. "I hate fighting with so many distractions!"

Without warning, a _Fa Raza _descended from above, firing wildly at a swarm of three Genaoce IIs, a Shaldoll with a mega launcher particle cannon, and five Genoace F's their blazing red eyes flashing as they dodged obstacles and a determined Baqto with yellow stripes over its green armor. The machine tore apart the Shaldoll before it could fire, then was separated from its ship as a whole construction station, almost entirely intact, flew up and nearly took Ivon with it as it ascended higher into the mass of tumbling freighters.

"Half the problem"-Ivon spun the Sylph away from a wave of beam fire that appeared to be coming from a _Darwin _on the other end of the debris-"Is that some of these freighters and stations are merely disabled and still have personnel on board."

"Incoming!" Ewen shouted.

A Colony buster missile streaked in from below and crashed into the station. Ivon covered his eyes—a wave of debris rushed at him like a tidal wave, the white light of the starburst blinding him completely.

* * *

The last remaining _Darwin _rushed backward toward the safety of a collection of massive construction installations, which were clustering together for survival at the edge of the collision point. The surviving Berms were floating hopelessly above the floundering zone, the controllers wisely learning from their contemporaries. Transports with noble pilots at the controls dashed from the Berms, determined to rescue those trapped inside the growing debris cluster.

A pair of Abigels, flanked on either side by a Defurse, rocketed after the retreating warship. Their ion cannons were doing wonders against enemy mobile suits, leaving them immobile and ripe for the picking. The more they dismantled, the more Gafrans could be constructed.

A G-Exes with black and dark red armor raced out of the crippled _Darwin, _bearing a large, dangerous looking bazooka with flanged edges around its opening, a glowing green sensor placed just to the side of the weapon so the Gundam could look through. It's eyes flashed blue as an emerald tracer fell on the Defurse, which was firing its beam weapons on a trio of Shaldoll agitating the group with DODS rifle blasts, forcing them to weave wildly.

The G-Exes swopped to their right, losing its leg to an ion cannon shot. It wobbled with a pulse from its booster pack and righted itself and squeezed the trigger on the DEW. In a flash, a jet of plasma erupted from the bazooka—the nuclear flash faded abruptly, leaving no trace of the two Abigels. The Defurse remained—a glowing blob of metal. The generator at its center shimmered like a pulsar peaking through the clouds of a nebula, then it disappeared in a bright flash, sending its molten fragments flying. The G-Exes rushed passed and took aim on the _Fa Raza _hanging in the background and prepared to squeeze the trigger again.

* * *

In a crumbling scene of blazing jets of fire, the _So Lin _burst asunder, the Razor moved away from the blast. Then a pair of _Fa Raza _materialized above, guns blazing as they took aim on the colony's engines.

Meanwhile, the G-Exes pummeled the yellow Zedas with beam rifle shots, trying to catch the elusive machine as it ducked, weaved and barrelrolled through the blasts, firing its machinegun at every passing target.

"Woolf, we're going down!" Milias yelled, watching as the Amatha started to descend at top speed, its controllers either unaware or unconcerned about the black Vagan battlestation hovering over Shelter 7, which was now surrounded in a cloud of its own debris as the crimson bolts chipped away at the rock piece by piece.

"Always the optimist," Woolf snapped back with a sigh, blocking the Veinidorr's saber blow and rushing away and into the face of the Zedas, clashing blades with it before darting back from both mobile suits, DODS rifle blazing.

* * *

Inside one of the clustered construction stations, a young worker paused as he zipped on a normal suit. A _Darwin _loped passed, trailing fire that was quickly being but out. Behind, a black Gundam was unleashing the full power of its directed energy weapon on the Vagan battleships, which were growing more and more numerous as the Adamantine Fleet approached slowly on the attack, their long range beam fire pulsing by the window, the beams crackling with tendrils of lighting as they released excess energy.

* * *

Outside the stations, a hexagonal ship descended from a _So Lin _and angled quickly toward the nearest station, a pair of starfighters flanking it as the tip of the transport glowed cherry red. It struck the hide of the station and easily melted through it as if it were a hot knife stabbing through butter. The glowing panels quickly cooled as something—perhaps liquid nitrogen—sprayed over their sides as they slowly retracted.

* * *

The young station hand stopped and spun around at the sound of something loudly crashing into the facility. Outside, a Gafran tore apart the G-Exes in a frantic series of expert saber blows, the Gundam's pilot temporarily overwhelmed by the storm of long range support fire coming from the Vagan fleet. Like blinking purple lights, the Vagan mobile suits became visible, growing more and more numerous and coming on fast like a fleet of dragons.

There was a second crash, and a scream of terror followed by the repeated sounds of multiple beam weapons fire, melting steel, and the acrid stench of charred human flesh. He turned away to run, even as a group of armed space troopers in hulking combat suits and massive combat rifles charged through a side door opposite the viewing gallery and swept _toward _the shooting.

"Get the crab," one of the commanders ordered, his voice muffled as he spoke from his helmet, the metallic silver visor totally obscuring his and his companions' faces. A moment later, a vaguely rectangular machine moved from the other end of the hall and landed amidst the group of soldiers, who were crouching with weapons loaded, some with RPG launchers. The box unfolded two pairs of legs on its shorter ends and deployed a pair of claws and leveled them off at the hallway, where a constant thudding could be heard, like a herd of elephants charging through the station. But there could not be elephants here, not on this station, unless the Vagans liked to read up on Hannibal and had bread elephants for combat.

Outside, the young man noticed a Vagan transport banking away from the facility, its beam guns flashing back at a swarm of Genoace II exiting the collision zone.

He turned back when a soldier motioned for him to leave the way they had entered, "Get going," he ordered in a gruff voice through his helmet speaker. He spun back just as something charged through the hall on two legs clamping to the ground like magnets.

The factory worker screamed in fear and bolted behind the thing the men called a crab, even as the rectangular robot raised its arms and began to launch mini rockets at the charging monstrosity. It was a dinosaur, at least he thought it was. It was silver, with a metallic body and face vaguely similar to a Vagan mobile suit, with a glowing beam emitter pointed straight at him. It screeched and leapt off the floor, violet pulses of light propelling it around the stream of bullets and mini rockets with almost graceful flare. It landed and began shredding soldiers left and right as if they were ragdolls, only instead of fabric, blood and gore flew about in all directions. The machine exploded as the missiles from the crab blew the mecha apart at last, but then seven more replaced it, all charging or flying down the hall with visors glowing and beam weapons blazing.

There was a screech and the young man saw the mechanoid turn its gaze on him and light up its glowing beam emitter.

The worker, never knew what hit him.

* * *

Flit raced aside as Dole Frost unleashed one barrage of attacks after another, the Farsia itself banking and jinking around his shots, chest cannon nearly taking off the Razor Gundam's right leg. Then a saffron beam blast nearly tore through the Razor's chest, had Flit not sensed it coming and moved aside, kicking an asteroid at the Farsia and then swooping in for a slash with his swords. The Farsia launched away in a burst of light, its flight base giving speed equal to the Zedas, forcing Flit to remind himself of his final battle with Decil and Yurin at Ambat.

_I didn't realize how fast it was,_ Flit thought as he zigzagged within a cage formed by the funnels. _He's coming now, _Flit thought, readying the Razor. The Farsia swooped in, and he combined the Razor's swords into a boomerang and threw it hard.

* * *

Milias angled away as the Veinidorr slashed away her double bladed sword and nearly cut the Gundam in half with the blades on its legs.

Gafrans and Shaldolls swarmed about them, creating a frantic storm of beam bolts that made it hard to focus on the Veinidorr. The Zedas dashed down, the G-Exes slamming into it with a brutal series of attacks before rushing back to fire its DODS rifle. It came in again, finally taking off the Zedas' left arm.

"Grrrraaaaa!" A female voice shouted as the Zedas transformed and dashed off.

Milias saw the halo around her field of vision and spun to slash away a beam saber hack from a Gafran, which moved back a pace as a Genoace F warded it off with a four-cannon volley of beam fire.

She felt Flit nearby, and an impressive boost in her power. A girl appeared before her, screaming for Frost. Those two X-Rounders again. Scowling with determination, Milias drew the Razor's skirt armor blades and activated their beam sabers, rushing down to where Flit battled fiercely with the black Farsia.

"I can't let you tangle with children while I'm still here," a woman said over the comm.

Milias looked up as a dark red Gafran flashed down and transformed to mobile suit form, attacking her with a torso cannon blast. Milias cut through it and swept her left-hand blade across the other shoulder, slamming against the Gafran as it blocked with its own beam saber. The Gafran's tail beam sword whipped from under its arm, but Milias blocked with the Mantis claws and drove the Gafran back with a slash from the other.

* * *

They're fighting the Gundams," Angelo Enreze said inside the Veinidorr's cockpit, his face twisted in confusion. Why was that supposed to bother him again? The Veinidorr started to dart back in the direction of the remaining _So Lin, _which were its primary objective to defend. The X-Rounders would keep the enemy busy, that was good. In the back of his mind, the final spark of Angelo's soul gave its last command. Ignoring the buzzing, Angelo gripped the controls tighter and turned back toward Frost and Mink, who were fighting Flit Asuno's Razor.

Rtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrtrt—_I will not be kept from my goal. _His goal was to defend the-_I will not let Frost and Mink have to bear this burden alone!_

"Angelo, we must defend the freighters. There is no time for distractions"-Angelo turned toward the sound of an Abigel's voice as the machine moved closer, its pilot sounding concerned-"please follow me."

Angelo dashed forward and cleaved the Abigel in half from head to pelvis, then transformed and dashed back at the fighting Gundams. "No one controls me like a dog. Telemari! This is my final request, take care of those kids for me. And…Good morning, for all the days I never said it."

"Angelo? What's wrong?"

Angelo Enreze gave himself up to the buzzing, clicking sound. In an instant, he was the Veinidorr and the Veinidorr was him.

* * *

Flit looked up just in time to see the industrial colony rushing down straight at him. He moved away, Frost taking the opening to rush in and knock him into a funnel fire web. Flit banked out of it, only to have a very angry Zedas and its pilot rush in on the attack.

He saw the pilot, a young, rough looking girl that appeared half his age, with a determined scowl on her face. _Get ready, Colony Nuker!_

Flit felt his rage spike suddenly and let his power flow to full, taking in the new resonating force from four X-Rounders converged in the same place. For an instant he was out of his mobile suit, in a strange, dark space within a swirling red and blue cloud, a dark purple one just in front of him, and another crimson and black cloud behind, with the boy named Frost at its center. _Flit! _He looked up to see a pale green and silver nebula rushing down, Milias in the center, her body indistinct, but her eyes very vivid.

Flit blinked as the Zedas crashed into him with its saber, slicing at the Gundam's right arm. What had happened? Without time to ponder, Flit pushed on the throttle and dashed away, the Zedas dashing after him, even as the Farsia spun in a circle and dashed after him, funnels arraying in an arc over its head, firing in sync.

The Razor unit II descended in a flash, throwing its front skirt blades into two of the funnels, its boomerang spinning down nearby to slash the Farsia—but it detached from its flight base and rushed away.

A piece of metal spun out of the debris, followed by a hammer shaped ship desperate to escape. The Zedas rushed up and fired its chest cannon, blowing the pilot's hopes away—along with him!

_Take this Earther!_ Mink screamed in glee.

Flit dashed after her, but the Zedas cartwheeled away and fired its scattercannon. Flit spiraled through the blasts, only to feel a tingle at the back of his head and dashed to the side, the Farsia rushed in, reattached to its flight base and firing its chest cannon back at Milias. It spun around quickly and fired its beam machinegun at Flit. He moved away, only for the three remaining funnels to rush in and fire at him again.

A voice crackled over the comm. as retreat flares began to crackle above the battleground, where Shelter 7 floated overhead. Zul Dahala had detached three segments from itself, tapering its lower half so that it no longer resembled an acorn, but a giant funnel. It's tip, red like a ruby, glowed steadily brighter. As if in slow motion, a bright, glowing beam flew from nowhere, breaking the tip of the cannon in two. There was a bright, brilliant red flash, followed by Zul Dahala's retreating form as it moved quickly away, billowing smoke and its remaining interior smoking as the three detached pieces reconnected quickly pumping fire from every cannon and unleashing a storm of missiles—as well as a mass of starfighters that swamped the blue _Amadeus _and Shelter 7 mobile suit teams like a hurricane. Overwhelmed, the Federation forces found it impossible to press the advantage.

Flit magnified the image approaching from the far away Yard 3. The _Diva, _in assault landing mode, with a pair of shiny new particle cannons surrounding the bridge and its Photon cannon restored, glowing as it released the excess heat, the focusing panels along the sides of the catapult arms glowing cherry red as they continued to crackle with excess energy.

"We seem to have made it back in time," the voice of Captain Adams Tinel called over the comm. "General Ermings?"

"The General is dead," the voice of his direct subordinate answered in the late general's stead. "I do not know the details at the moment, only that we must have fallen victim to an enemy infiltration party without being alerted to their presence. Currently, a large number of dockyards and factories from the Berms are reporting attack by mechanoids—as well as Colony Amatha, which is reporting it is being assaulted by a large number of enemy infantry forces."

"All control will now fall to General Tamae," Adams said, "He will be arriving with the refitted _Darwin _ships very soon. Please continue to hold until he arrives—we will assist in breaking the enemy fleet movements."

"Captain Adams," Flit called into the comm., Dodging a series saber slashes from both Zedas and Farsia as they circled him in a dangerous dance. Above, Milias was dueling the Veinidorr, which had rushed down without warning. A dark red Gafran tried to intervene, but Woolf Enneacle darted in the way with the G-Exes, driving in back under a ruthless series of sword blows.

A Baqto rushed in with several starfighters in tow, activating the talons on its chest cannon and hurling a boomerang. Flit dove out of the way, "The mobile suit forces should escort infantry forces to Amatha!" He dodged a vicious saber hack from the Farsia and rushed desperately through a long corridor of beam funnel fire as the black pyramidal weapons spun dangerously around him in a twister.

Milias flashed past, angling for the _Diva, _her Razor Gundam missing an arm and a leg.

The Veinidorr swooped down from above in mobile armor mode, firing its powerful plasma cannon. Flit dodged the glowing blasts, trying to pin his foe down with a DODS rifle blast. A funnel darted up and blew the rifle out of his hand. A Genoace II swept in and knocked the Farsia away, igniting its beam saber as it did so, shortened for full power.

"Kannas?" Flit asked, noting the black and purple coloring.

"Me, I will deal with the Farsia. No one uses my personal colors!" As if to emphasize, he slashed the Farsia's passing funnel—it spiraled off into the crossfire.

The Veinidorr rushed into the Gundam's face, lozenge shaped visor lines coruscating in pulsing waves. Flit felt a sickening feeling come over him, as if he were being suffocated by towels drenched in ice water. He dove back, the Mantis claws doing vicious battle with the Veinidorr's ruthless slashes. Flit whipped out a rear skirt blade and sliced off the Veinidorr's sword arm as it activated the shimmering turquoise blade with a flourish, and drove the blade at the Veinidorr's head, trying to put an end to this horrible feeling.

_Enreze!_

_Bald Guy!_

Flit turned back to see Frost and Mink rushing up at him, beam machine guns and scattercannon blazing away. Flit parried a blow from the Veinidorr's remaining arm and tried to kick it back and slice with the Razor's legs, only for the machine to dash back on its own and kick both X-Rounder use machines away.

"Both of you, leave!" A voice commanded, Flit saw a silver halo ripple in his mind, and before he knew it, he wretched into his helmet. Tearing it off his head so he could see, Flit rocketed back as the damaged tan and brown _Diva _approached, firing its Photon cannon again at a contingent of approaching _Fa Raza. _The olive and navy blue battleship, the _Delaware,_ rose up from the other side of Colony Amatha, firing its cannon as well. Caught by the two blasts, three of the leading _Fa Raza _vanished, even as they fired a pair of Colony busters. Beams lanced out of the sky in a storm of fire from an approaching alliance ship. The powerful explosives erupted into eye-searing starbursts.

Flit looked behind him to see the biggest battleship he had ever seen ponderously approach, millions of anti-MS beam fire and particle cannon blasts obscuring its five hundred meter frame as it drove forward inexorably. Behind it, a fleet of miniaturized _Divas _advanced, the new refitted _Darwins _even some that had been freshly completed at the shipyards, the _Orion _class reinforcements, a whole fleet of them.

Flit cheered and moved toward the _Diva _as it approached, hanger bays open and ready to receive him.

Flit turned to find the X-Rounders' apparitions floating in front of him for a moment, their faces downcast and defeated, until they faded away like ghosts.

* * *

**Zul Dahala**

"Never have I experienced such _incompetence_!" Nixean McArver raged, slapping a subaltern and taking off his commander's mask in total submission to defeat. The enemy had released a terrifyingly large _five Hundred _meter warship, a monstrosity almost as tall as a _Fa Bose _class, if perhaps slightly longer in length—not that it mattered in the end. The _Fa Raza _were not good enough, and he had not properly learned yet how to manipulate the advantages _Zul Dahala _gave him in battle. The Adamantine Fleet was without An Grams, who had yet to arrive from Adamantine itself.

It was Blue Fall all over again. Failure, the bitter taste of defeat, and after carrying the hopes of Vagan so high and so far when it was needed most. "There are no reinforcements coming to remedy this debacle," McArver said dourly, tasting bile. "Instruct all ships to retreat, have the _So Lin _tow what stations we captured back with us, we shall regroup and reassess-

-Commander! Incoming visual image—it's a Solar Sail!"

* * *

Inside the Razor Gundam, Flit watched the Pharaonic, four winged capital ship force all resistance from its path, sending the _Fa Raza _back behind their cloaks in a desperate bid to escape.

Something caught his eye. It started small, a little golden star, then it began to grow. A golden globe like a bright, roaming star rushed from amongst its stationary fellows, growing brighter and brighter until it was impossible to look at. He knew what he was seeing—he had been inside of one.

A cold feeling of triumph rushed over him. "If Second Moon is coming, then we've won. Adams, if we have nuclear weapons, now would be the time to use them."

The solar sail disintegrated in a massive out pouring of glowing stardust like a million golden suns—something that had not happened with Zul Dahala as it made a quiet entry to the Forge Zone. The sail grew larger, become a gigantic screen of light that appeared as if a door to heaven had been opened upon the world, casting its righteous radiance upon the tangled battlefield, which abruptly paused, some combatants in mid swing, to watch. No one even noticed the humble _So Lin _ships meekly scampering away from the other side of the screen of light.

From this outpouring of starry particls, a lonely _Fa Raza _materialized slowly, like the coming of a savior, nothing more than a black silhouette behind the unearthly screen of brilliance.

Then the light and the screen and the golden particles vanished away.

The _Fa Raza_—aided by the speed from Hermes Arrow—quickly approached like a swift warbird. As it came within firing range, it deployed a single mobile suit.

* * *

Issishar Ezelcant felt her face flush with pride and her chest swell as her senses drank in the awe and terror she has inspired with her dramatic entrance. Who ever said special affects didn't count for something had never met her yet. She sat within her father's machine, the one he had used throughout his battles to stop her in her mad quest. That thought nagged at her and threatened to ruin her composure, so she reached for the comm. "Mechanician, is the ɐ operating at the specified conditions?"

"Yes, Master Issishar. But shouldn't we utilize its superior weapons? We were ordered to dismantle several of its offensive systems…."

"My father never repaired it after its last battle, and I have a sneaking suspicion half the technology may not be operable anyway, and you will require time to decipher its secrets enough to repair the damage. Nevertheless, it is the most powerful mobile suit in the Earth Sphere." She smiled broadly, it was time to rescue Nixean McArver's floundering forces. She could not have hoped for anything better.

"Issishar Ezelcant ɐ launching!"

* * *

Flit watched as the lone mobile suit steadily grew closer, until he could see it clearly with his naked eyes. The golden chest, the blue torso, the white limbs and red mouth with glowing eyes and horns, grasping a long, powerful sword with both hands, it was unmistakable.

"_What is it, Mother?"_

"_A savior. It was a Gundam built a long, long time ago by our family."_

The painting sprang to life before him as the legendary Gundam drew its sword back and rushed into the battle.

* * *

**March 1****st****, Mars Sphere, some time before Departure Ceremony **

Issishar Ezelcant stalked through the shadowed halls beneath the Overlord's Palace. She didn't have time to torture Zoroaster Zara for destroying the altered clone of her father. With technology like Vagan possessed, creating another one would not be impossible. Sad as it was to admit, she didn't know the future exactly and could not guarantee herself victory in her goals before she was too old to bear children. The cloning could wait, for now at least, should she need to leave the Earth in a copy's capable hands.

Zoroaster Zara walked nervously behind her, obviously still unsure whether she meant to do away with him down here. That was funny, so she let him wriggle like the little worm he was. Aside from her father's magnetic interface, his Thought Panner, and the cloning vat, Issishar had found one more _very _important secret stored away within Fezarl Ezelcant's hidden vaults. She suspected it was here, mostly because she knew what people like him thought of their mobile suits, and had come across it very quickly. Mobile suits, by sheer necessity of physics, were harder to hide than computer terminals.

She stopped in a dusky hanger specially designed as a sort of private museum for Ezelcant, should he grow nostalgic—at least this was how Issishar reasoned it—the machine became visible with the touch of her foot on a thin ring panel that encircled the mobile suit. It lit up, bathing the machine in a faint glow, highlighting its armor.

"Zara, do you know what we called our world before the AG calendar?"

"No, Master Issishar."

"The Golden Age, the calendar before the Fondor family set up their new government. This is why they called it the _Silver _Chalice Treaty as they ushered in a world with inferior technology. It was a joke, to call it the 'Advanced' Generation. They knew they would destroy the fabric of order humanity had created. My father fought to uphold that order by destroying both sides in the conflict. It destroyed him."

Issishar stopped at the foot of the kneeling machine. "This is the armor that carried him into battle, the ɐ, Turn Alpha. It means 'For All', a fitting name for the man who fought valiantly to save human kind from itself."

"For everything," Zara said quietly as he stared at the Gundam's darkened eyes. "He spoke of a time when he was a Gundam pilot, but I did not know he still had it."

"Yes, well, see It's still unrepaired from his last battle; the internal weapons that is, the armor was polished to look new. I ran some diagnostics and noted that it is still capable of fighting. Without countermeasures to all its weapons as there were in the GA, the ɐ is the most powerful mobile suit weapon still functioning, at least for now." Issishar resisted the urge to spit at the machine's foot. "How long it will hold up in actual combat, well, we will have to learn the hard way. Still it _was _named after the legendary Gundam of the far past. So I suppose you could call this the Gundam on which Flit Asuno based his contraption. Doubtless it will be like salt in his eye."

"It may be unwise to underestimate the AGE-1, Master Issishar," Zara suggested helpfully.

"Oh, never fear, I know more than anyone else what this beast can do," Issishar replied, stepping passed him. "Have it moved to my ship at once. The ceremony is about to begin."

* * *

**Current time; March 2****nd****, AG118-Earth Sphere Forge Zone**

Flit felt a chill of fear cover his skin like a layer of frost—_The _Gundam, the one that he had watched in awe from the painting in his family's mansion. The creation his ancestors had designed and he tried passionately to immolate in the AGE-1, was rushing toward him—a _Vagan _champion. It's eyes flashed a cold blue, its sword seemed to crackle with electricity for an instant, as if magnetizing.

"Flit, is that-

-It's a Gundam," Flit said to Woolf Enneacle as the G-Exes pulled alongside, missing one of its legs.

"Get inside so they can repair your machine," Flit ordered, Woolf already moving toward the catapult deck of the _Diva. _

"Don't give me orders, that's my job. Flit, don't engage that thing unless ordered. I'm not one to fall for a flashy entrance, but a Gundam built by Vagans can probably pull of some pretty sick tricks."

"The Vagans didn't build it," Flit said.

The Gundam met a wall of resistance fire coming from the _Fortuna, _its whole complement of beam weapons blazing. Miraculously, the beam fire struck some invisible force, and the space around the impact points rippled like stones striking water. Now and then a beam would arc around the mobile suit and strike a red horn rising from the back of the machine's head. It's eyes would glow honey gold and flash menacingly. Then, slowly, it raised its hand toward the beams.

"My family did," Flit finished. "A long, long time ago."

"A long—_wait_, you're saying that thing was built _before _SCT? Don't get near it!" Woolf began hailing the _Diva. _"Adams! Don't let those other ships near that Gundam!"

Even as he spoke, one of the _Diva _carriers, the _Delaware_, launched a Nymph mobile armor from its catapult deck and fired a wave of beam fire from its cannons as the white armor streaked in.

The Gundam turned its attention toward the warship and raised its hand. One of the particle cannon blasts swept passed its outstretched fingers and arced back around to the hand, where the Gundam caught it, drew it back as it crackled with energy—and flung it back at the ship like Zeus would a thunderbolt. The blast struck the _Diva _class square on its bridge. The Gundam captured a whole slew of fire coming from the mobile suits and guns of the Fortuna, and launched another, more massive lance of glowing energy. The blast struck the blue and olive ship as it tried to maneuver out of the way—it erupted in a series of crackling bursts, tearing the ship apart.

The Nymph rushed up, its combat claw deploying to grapple the enemy sword. The mobile armor's claw closed about the flat of the blade, only to slice off its own jaws as if it were an animal biting on a sharpened sword's razor edge. The Gundam swung the blade forward, cleaving through the mobile armor as if it were not even there—and continued toward the _Diva, _toward Flit and his Gundam.

"It's targeting me," Flit said to Woolf, who had hastily retreated to the mobile suit deck—he could not fight a monster like that with only one leg.

"I need the Starks Wear. Vargas, Dique?" He called into the comm. "Any idea where the Amembo is?"

"It's still out there, but it probably won't be getting to us with its damaged engines," Vargas retorted.

"I have an idea!" Dique's voice came over the speaker, overriding Vargas' complaints as something banged loudly in the background amidst a chorus of swearing. "Flit, I've been fiddling with some new weapons, we can outfit your Gundam with some heavy armor."

"I need speed right now, not armor," Flit retorted, watching as a series of brave Shaldolls frantically surrounded the Gundam and tried to hem it in. The Gundam raised its sword, grasped it with both hands—a series of flickering lights similar to the Vagans suits erupted from its back, only in a wide, massive oval shape. In an instant, there was a second Gundam beyond the Shaldolls, two of the green machines cloven in half. Flit blinked, the mobile suit moved so quickly, there had been an afterimage for a full half second of time where the Gundam used to be.

"All Vagan forces," a proud, female voice called over the comm. for both sides to hear. Another of the brilliant flashes, and the remaining four Shaldolls also fell apart as the Gundam dashed back and forth between them in a blinding flurry of afterimages. "I am Issishar Ezelcant, daughter of Overlord Ezelcant, and rightful Empress of the Axis Federation. I, or you Sovereign, have returned to you, people of the Earth Sphere—with vengeance and rage at the injustice done in the name of peace and prosperity. People of Vagan! I bear a message from your loved ones at home! Do not give up fighting, even when you face an unstoppable wave of resistance, never give up, never surrender! I will guide you, people of Vagan. Know me again, people of the Twin Pillar Federation, know me as Lady Pandora. I will unleash the full measure of the chaos you dealt to Mars"-the Gundam lifted its sword and rushed toward the _Diva, _its eyes glowing gold-"With this mighty sword!"

Flit felt an X-Rounder presence so different from anything he had ever encountered ripple before him with so much force the tingling in his brain and spine turned to pain.

The AGE-1 dashed away from the _Diva _and joined the legion of Federation mobile as they converged upon the Vagan Gundam.

Inside the ɐ, Issishar smiled at the approaching AGE-1 and leveled off her Gundam's sword. "Come, Flit Asuno! First to fall!"

* * *

_**Diva **_**mass-production type, **_**Orion **_**class destroyer, **_**Faraday **_

General Tamae sat on the bridge of his ship, steadily approaching behind the other cruisers, his own vessel had been delayed by a pair of Stone's _Darwins_, which had demanded he present IFF codes before continuing—on some excuse that his _Orion_ was not yet classified as a Federation vessel.

_Galileo Stone, you did this to prevent me from taking charge of the battle before you! Such a thing to do to me, a senior officer who has done more for the military than you ever did. While I risked my neck authorizing the illegal construction and installment of the Photon cannons—you were preening about Prime Minister Fondor trying to win favor! _

_Now he has the _Fortuna _as his flagship, while I remained behind to rally the forces and was left with this mere tug of a warship. _Tamae ground his teeth in frustration.

"Cardia, take us in at full speed, get our monitor cameras out, I want a full view of the battle. Minges, contact General Ermings at Shelter 7 and Captain Wakim of the _Amadeus, _I want them to work in-concert with my fleet. Stone is acting out of his bounds."

"Sir," his sensor operator cried, "black mobile suit, broad off port bow, 200 degrees. It's a black Genoace II."

"Hail it," commanded the ship's captain sitting next to Tamae.

"General, the _Diva _isreporting an attack from an enemy Gundam."

"General—Captain, the mobile suit refuses to answer our comm. It is not broadcasting a transponder signal!"

"Shoot it down!" Tamae said, "anyone sneaking up on my ship is to be considered an enemy!"

"—It's too late!"

The black and purple Genoace II flashed down in front of the bridge, hefted a bazooka and directed it straight at them—in an instant, Tamae knew no more.

The ɐ swept its sword at the Razor Gundam, Flit sent his machine rocketing away, firing blasts from his DODS rifle.

"Oh _I _remember _those_!" Issishar laughed in the cockpit as a forgotten memory rose to the surface. "Now that's a weapon I haven't seen for ages, not that it matters against the ɐ," she slashed again at the other Gundam as it lunged out of the way desperately, a slew of DODS rifle shots flashed past, only for Issishar to gesture with the ɐ's hand, snatching up the beam fire and sending it spiraling around the Gundam as it began dashing wildly around the Federation mobile suits, breaking their encirclement with unstoppable force. Dozens disappeared as she launched the orbiting energy into multiple beams, spraying the enemy with firepower.

Woolf Enneacle rushed out of the _Diva's _hanger, eyes widening inside the G-Exes as he beheld three hundred Federation mobile suits floundering about helplessly as a glowing, white and blue blur dashed in a circuit within their ranks, uncountable masses of beam energy swiftly spinning about its frame—Woolf covered his eyes as his firing reticle attempted futilely to get a lock on the machine.

* * *

"I can't get a lock on it," Flit growled, echoing Woolf's frustration as he angled through a mass of Genoace and Shaldoll, the ɐ easily moving from one side of the mobile suit force to the other in a swirling storm of beam fire. In a flash, it dispersed the fire in all directions, fifty Genoace II disappeared in a nova burst of emerald and rose hued fire.

Flit felt a presence fall over him again, a monstrous, powerful mind like _ten _X-Rounders fixated on him like a laser burning into his brain. The halo swirled into his vision like a green whirlpool—he felt himself plunging through the center, drowning deep, deeper into the darkness. He could still see himself piloting the Gundam, but his hands felt sluggish, and he found it hard to breathe, as if the pressure from thousands of tons of water were pressing down on his chest, forcing air out of his lungs.

"This pressure, what is that pilot?" He gasped, grabbing the side of his head with one hand as the other sent the Razor to the right as the blurring Turn Alpha swept passed, a beam lancing out at his machine, narrowly missing him.

_Having trouble? _A female voice asked with a mental smile. _Never felt what it's like to suffer from psychic attack?_

The ɐ Gundam flashed right into the Razor's face, its sword darting out for a stab to the chest. Flit blocked with the double bladed sword. The enemy blade crashed against the beam energy running along the blade edges. For a moment the two Gundam's locked eyes, one blue the other luminous gold. Flit saw the pilot within the machine flicker in front of him like a flame. She was blue-haired, with a smooth, beautiful face and riveting red eyes dancing with malice.

_Issishar Ezelcant, _she said into his mind, smiling cruelly as she licked her lips and applied pressure on the Razor's blade with a steady downward turn of the ɐ's wrists. The enemy's solid blade, cleaved straight through the beam energy with a jerk and sailed through the physical blade like it weren't really there. Flit somersaulted backward, the ɐ rushed in, slashing with the blade at Flit's waist.

The G-Exes rushed in, slashing at the blade with both longsabers to deflect it away from the Razor.

"Curse interference!" Issishar shouted, twirling the sword over the ɐ Gundam's head, bringing it down toward the G-Exes, which tried to dodge, but the Gundam dashed after it.

"Flit," Woolf yelled, swiping wildly at the Gundam with his sabers, "we have to get that sword from her," he drew out his DODS rifle and fired, but the beam flew around and sank into the red horn on the back of the ɐ's head.

"I can hear that," Issishar said over the comm., her Gundam suddenly dashing back after the Razor Gundam.

Flit drew two beam sabers and pressed their blades together, trying to parry the ɐ Gundam's blows.

A DODS rifle beam flashed passed them, disappearing within the mysterious rippling field surrounding the Vagan machine. Flit and Woolf looked down to see Nova and Kannas approaching in their Genoace II's, firing their beam rifles wildly to no affect.

"Another one?" Issishar asked, her senses picking up Milias Alloy as her Gundam rushed down from above, the Starks Wear readying its Reiber. "She's going to"-Issishar sent her machine leaping away as the Starks hurtled passed, jabbing with its spear.

Nova and Kannas dashed in, surrounding the machine—Nova raised her saber with both hands, Kannas draw his back beside the Genoace's waist to stab. Flit screamed for them to run and swept in, his beam sabers slashing down to strike the ɐ's apparently unarmored forearm joints. He felt Issishar laugh and raised the Gundam's free hand, the wrist armor covering the back of its hand sparked—the blades exploded instantly, every single one of the multitudes of particles scattering away.

Meanwhile Woolf came up from below, sabers aiming for the ɐ Gundam's feet. Milias was coming from above, Reiber glowing with energy—a very large number of other mobile suits were coming down as well, their fear now diminished at the sight of their own Gundams managing to hold the enemy at bay.

As Nova and Kannas' blades descended, Issishar flipped a control—the blades began to disintegrate particle by particle, like sand trailing away into the ocean. The stolen beam energy passed into the holes on the unarmored portions of the Gundam's arm, which then released the blasts with a flash.

"Kannas!" Flit yelled as the black machine fell backward, its chest smoking. Nova dodged, but the ɐ rammed it with its shoulder. Woolf rushed up, Issishar swung her sword and hit the thrusters, dashing passed the G-Exes and cleaving its right shoulder away without a single spark.

A pulsing beam blast flashed just in front of the ɐ, Issishar darted back out of impulse. An alarm blared, warning her that something was wrong with the I-field barrier. So that was why her powers reacted suddenly.

Then the second AGE-1 one descended, thrusting with its spear. _Milias Alloy, is it? _Milias jerked in surprise as Issishar was there, sitting in her lap, and flicked her chin with her finger, the gesture didn't hurt, and Milias realized it was a hallucination too late. The ɐ swung around and with a bright dispersal of flickering gold light, swept passed her, sword leveled to cleave the Gundam in half. Woolf and Flit both dashed in, combining their sabers to block the sword, which still cut through—Milias used what time she still had to blast backward, the ɐ dashed in, slicing off its free arm and cutting into its torso in a single clean stroke.

Issishar activated the MI and glanced around the battlefield, with the radar. The Federation were clustering around to watch the battle—and stabilizing their positions. What was that dithering idiot up to? "Vagan forces, this is your Princess, Lady Pandora"-she used the open frequency, so the Federation could likewise hear-"So long as I fight, we shall never flee the battlefield in shame! Zul Dahala, continue the assault on Shelter 7, all mobile suit forces uncloak and attack!"

* * *

**Zul Dahala**

Medel Zant and Martha Reed passed quickly through the halls, arguing quietly between themselves the whole way to the command center.

"Martha, I can't use my position as the Supreme Commander's attended to hand off any new mobile suit that comes around. Please remain on standby until-

-No," she cut him off with a sharply raised finger to accommodate for her lower voiced as they passed a pair of crewmembers, "you are _not _having me sit around twiddling my thumbs. I can handle myself in a new model, I'll prove it to you."

"The Glimrong is a dangerous and unpredictable mobile suit," Zant replied. They stopped outside the doors to the command center, the sound of voices crying out in muffled tones issued from the door as a subaltern slipped out and dashed off on an errand. He turned to Martha, trying to calm himself. "Listen—please. It has nothing to do with your capabilities, but if I take advantage of my position over men like McArver and the other commanders I will make enemies before I have even started my work. It could lead to a grave dysfunction of the chain of command."

"Fine, but will you at least come out and fight with me then? I don't want to go alone if all I have is the Gafran."

"I will, so long as Commander McArver doesn't need my assistance." Zant stepped through the doors, which slid open slightly to allow him passage. Inside, the room was busy with technicians at their stations, Nixean McArver standing at the commander's podium, holoscreens flashing about his masked face. He turned, removed the mask and nodded his head in a curt gesture of respect.

"I have alerted Lord Grams of your arrival, Adjutant Gramis. He will be directing us further orders very soon." He gestured toward a screen, where a blue, gold and white Gundam battled the two AGE-1 Gundams and their fellow Federation machines with impressive skill. "Lady Pandora demands that we continue the assault—her valorous actions must not go unanswered, so I am taking this chance to reorganize our forces so we may properly execute whatever stratagem Lord Grams puts forth," he gestured at the screens, obviously trying to show Zant how it worked.

Zant deeply appreciated this gesture, it showed McArver was willing to take time to teach him helpful tips. The idea of commanding such a confusing battle began to take its toll almost immediately. He began to sweat. He wasn't issuing orders, but if he was, how could he keep it all straight when it happened so quickly?

* * *

The Starks slashed with its Reiber, but the ɐ dove out of the way and drew back, hefting its sword to bat away several DODS blasts from the assembled Gundams and Genoace.

"Its barrier is down," Flit said with growing relief, he felt his blood rush with pent-up rage. "I'll show you to use my family's own symbol against me!" The Razor dashed forward, DODS rifle ablaze.

The Turn Alpha flashed its now blue eyes and gestured with one hand for the AGE-1 to attack. The Starks swept in alongside, the G-Exes darting from the right.

In a brilliant gold flash, the ɐ Gundam released a sudden storm of beam bolts, pelting the enemy machines and sending them into a desperate series of maneuvers.

"You know I always enjoyed fighting X-Rounders," Issishar said conversationally, swatting the G-Exes aside with the flat of its blade, Woolf blocked with his own two sabers and dashed away so Flit could roar in. The ɐ grabbed the Starks spear at the shaft when Milias rushed in for a stab, throwing her into the other Gundam and moving backward to nimbly dodge the incoming beam fire from the Genoace IIs. "So inferior and easy to trick! Get them riled up and they lose their aptitude to think!"

More mobile suits were approaching, what a pain, Issishar decided. If only the ɐ had retained some of its battle armor, weapons, and other attachments long lost. _Father didn't expect to use you again, did he? _She thought to herself wearily, spiraling away from a DODS rifle barrage as the enemy forces closed slowly in. She needed reinforcements; a single mobile suit with almost none of its intended external armaments could not defeat such a massive force. She licked her lips as her body remembered its old skills laid to rest many years before, when she had begun to administer her empire from a commander's seat rather than in her personal machine.

With a blast from the shimmering silver and gold halo, Issishar whirled on the incoming mobile suits. She wanted them to _fear _her. She could not reasonably defeat them all, but they didn't have to know that. The eyes of the Gundam flashed gold as she launched forward, the ɐ disappeared in a flash, moving at blinding speed into the fray, sword swinging mighty strokes. The magnetic tractor beam grabbed one mobile suit after another toward her, she used the ɐ's thrusters to compensate for the third law of motion. Neatly sliced Shaldolls flew away from the gleaming red and white blade, leaving a trail of mechanical carnage behind the Turn Alpha as it dashed forward, its eyes a pair of gold shooting stars. A Genoace Fortress loomed up into its face, firing all its cannons into a single mighty blast.

Issishar stabbed with her sword, the crimson beam energy crackled with electricity as it reacted with the magnetic trap encircling the Gundam's blade. With her free hand, Issishar drew out a stream of charged particles from the outlets on its forearms and stabbed a beam spear at an approaching Genaoce II, the F having been left far behind the speeding Gundam like an unworthy afterthought. The Genoace fell away, speared in the cockpit.

Then the gigantic pale blue capital ship was there, firing its hurricane of beam guns. A smaller vessel, with a pair of X-shaped wings on its back dashed forward, launching a white mobile armor from its single catapult deck. Issishar gripped the controls as she plied her Extrasensor powers. An X-Rounder served its impulses without the ability to influence them—like a wild animal has instinct to protect it from danger like approaching storms and fires. Issishar, however, was not a degenerate like Flit or Milias, she was like her father—bred so _she _controlled the impulses. Her eyes darted erratically, the golden halos exploding on each target like fireworks that would drive a normal brain to seizure.

The Turn Alpha unleashed a blast from its back, the light forming a pair of wings for an instant as it dashed all the faster, weaving through the firepower through spaces no mortal should be able to detect. There was always a way through, even the thickest of storms had calm regions, Issishar vaguely thought in the back of her mind. The Gundam grabbed a quartet of particle cannon blasts on her blade. _Thank goodness for the Apollos, without it I don't think I could have lasted so long with so many enemies. _She glanced at the throbbing weapon, now red-hot from the beam energy it collected.

"Now to show you the power of the Sun god's sword!" She raised a palm toward the approaching _Orion _destroyer and its mobile armor, particles flying from the emitters on its forearms and wrists until a gigantic mass of collected beam energy glowed in front of her. The enemy had a chance to kill her right off as she focused, but as the ɐ hovered there, pulsating sword in one hand, another outstretched with a glowing ball of flame at its fingertips, the Federation stopped cold their firing—TERRIFIED that if they shot her now, they would only add more beam fire to her throbbing mass of energy.

This was actually the weakness of the ɐ, for her I-Field generator was gone, as were her other defensive weapons—and with her _projecting _beam energy for attack, she could not _absorb _incoming beam fire. However, Issishar had calculated that the enemy would not know this, and took advantage of ignorance. Ignorance was bliss they said? Well, for _her, _at least-

-The glowing sphere turned into a four-sided arrowhead and sped forward with a blast of particles behind it. Immediately, the Federation unleashed another barrage, forcing Issishar on the defensive even as her Gundam's blazing beam blast struck the _Orion _and vaporized it in a brilliant flash.

Two hundred mobile suits sped toward her, their numbers beginning to dwindle as many of Issishar's own forces began to arrive to assist their new princess.

The ɐ swung its sword to its other shoulder, crossing its chest as the mighty blade burned, bright as a small star, forcing the incoming enemy to turn their eyes for _one _moment. The sword's downturned crosspiece, which usually bent toward the wrists—snapped up to a more natural position. With a battlecry, Issishar swung the sword as a gushing jet of pure red light erupted from the sword. Now almost a full seven hundred meters long, the flaming sword arced through the Federation legions. Issishar laughed maniacally as she sensed the terrified shriek of fear pulse from each pilot as her fiery blade vaporized them and their mobile suits into stardust.

"Issishar Ezelcant," Flit Asuno muttered under his breath, watching in awestruck fascination as the red star of a blade carved a blazing path through the Federation mobile suits. Another slash, this one fast, leaving the forces divided by a molten line of white-hot metal and blowing energy batteries.

"Ezelcant's daughter," Flit thought, mind racing and blood boiling behind his eyes and blurring his vision, so the only thing he could see was the burning red blade of Apollos as it slashed again, taking another twenty machines. He heard a cackle of laughter, and Issishar's face appeared before him, smiling in glee.

"She is the closest one to him," Flit thought to himself aloud, slowly, his hand pressing slowly further and further on the throttle, sending the Gundam forward faster and faster.

The Turn Alpha grabbed hold of a Genoace Fortress and held it aloft, beam energy spiraling around its hand and slowly melting through the cockpit.

Flit heard a voice in his mind, that was a mere echo from Issishar's; a scream for mercy and terror. He switched on the comm. and tuned the frequency.

"Please! Someone, stop it! The devil! It burns, JUST FINISH It!" A frantic pilot's voice was shouting, for either help or a quick death—or perhaps both.

Flit heard Issishar's mental sneer as the ɐ continued to melt away the chest of the Genoace F until the pilot's frantic screams of pain turned into the quickly dying moan of death. Several other mobile suits hurtled down to rescue their comrade, only for Issishar to dance around them effortlessly and stab them all in the cockpit like a fencer in a choreographed play.

"If I strike at Ezelcant, I strike at the heart of Vagan," he thought. Words from the past echoed back into his mind, _"We must strike at the "heart" of Vagan._"

"Flit"—Woolf's voice called. "Wait for us to back you"-Flit turned off the comm., and tuned out Milias' mental voice as he sent the Razor dashing forward at full power. "Ezelcant. Fezarl Ezelcant, the one who started this whole thing! Let's _see _how _you _like losing someone you love! How about your _crazed DAUGHTER!? Issishar! Come here!"_

The glowing golden eyes of the Gundam turned on him, and he was once again facing the visage of the one thing that had inspired hope to the poor, seven year old boy living at Nora with Hendrick Bruzar. His world was gone, but one thing kept him alive—had kept him going where most would need a professional psychiatrist to open up his childish mind to the world again. It had been the painting of the Gundam, his mother and butler's words hailing it as the hero, its golden eyes and blazing sword a symbol of hope—he had spent his childhood, his life to bring that savior back to save the Earth Sphere from these monsters.

And now it was floating before him, a demon of the enemy. _How much _more _can you take away from me? HOW MUCH!_

"A lot, if you give me the chance," Issishar Ezelcant replied, tossing a new victim away, casually unleashing a quick beam blast to spear the cockpit and burn the pilot's life away.

With a scream of rage from Flit Asuno, the AGE-1 Razor charged at full speed. It would take Flit a full minute to reach the other Gundam, but with a flick of command from Issishar, the Turn Alpha unleashed a burst of light and covered the distance in ten seconds, rushing up to kick the Gundam back, crumpling in its chest armor.

Alarms blared, Flit screamed as glass shattered around him. He swung his beam sabers, striking the enemy's chest, only to see the beam leave nothing but a trace of heated metal, which quickly cooled.

"Laminated _Gundarium_ armor—it's a scary thing! Only something from its era could pierce it," Issishar said, easily dodging another stab from Flit's beam sabers. "My sword is of the same material, wrapped in a magnetic sheath that is a cutting edge in its own right. You cannot pierce me and my sword cannot be stopped. Give up, and I shall only take your pathetic Gundam _imitation's _head instead of your life."

"Quiet!" Flit shrieked, dashing forward. _"All hail the Empress! All hail Empress Issishar!" _He ground his teeth at the memory of Eldas Drace's final words. "So! You were the Empress of Zalam, the feared tyrant!"

"Yes," Issishar laughed, punching the AGE-1 backward. "And I have returned, to reclaim what is my own!"

Suddenly Issishar felt danger pulse up her spine as the golden halo flashed before her, and she dashed away as four DODS blasts spun toward her. At the same time, the Starks rushed in, firing its Reiber.

"I know what you're trying to do!" Issishar hissed, the Reiber missed—as she knew well Milias intended—the ɐ absorbed the beam blasts and rushed up at the Starks, sword raised to cleave it in half. The G-Exes dashed beside the Gundam and slashed with its beam longsaber—Issishar smiled derisively as the Reiber returned, moving at incredible speed as Milias angled it sharply to send it crashing into the sword.

Just before the flail struck the Apollos, Issishar raised the sword above it so it sailed underneath—and _flung _the weapon toward the Razor, letting it smack against the blue and silver Gundam's armor. "You want my sword? Take it! If..you..can." The Turn Alpha set its gaze upon the G-Exes, which was already rushing in for the kill. "I will show you all what a true evolution of humanity is! Behold, the power of mankind's future!" The ɐ unleashed a burst of light and dashed toward the G-Exes, palms glowing as they released a burning wave of beam energy, making them shine.

* * *

**Zul Dahala**

Nixean McArver watched as his forces began to array themselves into an orderly series of battle groups. Medel Zant Gramis had to admit Nixean knew how to organize—it was leading these forces that became the problem.

"Battle group Crown will continue to support the Princess," McArver said in his usual clipped tone, lip curled in thought as he squinted at the monitors. His mask was gone, as he usually thought better without it—saying it was very distracting. Zant made note of that.

"Commander, a transmission from Adamantine!" A technician cried. "Projecting now."

A fuzzy, somewhat bluish form of An Grams appeared between McArver and Zant, almost life-like in height. "Commander, how goes the battle?"

"We await your orders," McArver said, bending slightly at the waist. "Lady Pandora is currently holding her own against the enemy AGE-1 units and quite a bit of their military force is distracted by the battle."

"I see." An Grams' face turned hard as he turned to Zant and fixed him with an appraising stare. "Adjutant, do you believe the plans you created for this battle will work? You realize our objectives?"

"I believe so, Lord Grams," Zant said, placing his fist to his chest.

"Then you are hereby placed in charge of all forces present at the Forge Zone," An Grams pointed at him. "Medel Zant Gramis, please prove to me that your talent is indeed real. Nixean McArver, you are to follow Zant as if his orders were my own."

Speechless and shocked, Nixean McArver stared at his superior in total disbelief, bobbing his head wordlessly until he could fathom a proper response to this outrageous order.

An Grams nodded as if to himself. "I await to see the results of your work, Adjutant." The hologram faded out.

Zant gulped and turned back to Martha, who was staring at him with her arms folded, smiling with a raised eyebrows. "Pilot Martha, go to the hanger bay immediately and prepare the Glimrong for battle," he gestured with his hand, sending her off with a wink as she spun away, her golden hair flying as she exited the room.

"Are the Kratos generators ready for use?" Zant asked, his mind rushing with adrenaline as he savored fearlessly for a brief moment in absolute power.

"Those are meant as a last resort," McArver began, but Zant raised a hand without looking, smiling as he looked over the holoscreens.

"Deploy them, Nixean. I have need of their power."

"I protest," Nixean said quickly, furious that Zant was now ignoring the proper honorific, despite his right to now do so. "The purpose of this mission was not to destroy the Forge Zone's production facilities!"

"Indeed, I regret that," Zant said, looking over at him as he pushed up a lock of his rose colored hair, "so I will adapt my strategy." He looked back down at the tiers of operators and smiled, stretching out his hand dramatically as he raised his teenaged voice, praying it didn't crack, "Technician, release the Kratos shield generators and place them in small circle groups—five in total with four generators per group. I will designate their locations shortly. Have them accompanied by a _So Lin _or _Fa Raza _and keep them cloaked at all times. They are not to activate until ordered. Battle groups One and Three, move to strike the brunt of the enemy fleet by moving below Shelter 7; fire missiles to suppress its forces there as you pass by. Have all available Jegga gather at points I designate on the holomap," he began to plot points with his fingers like a conductor would direct an orchestra, hands flying over the map screens.

"Have all our currently captured stations broadcast Federation IFF codes and inform other stations to follow their lead—have them think you are friendly."

"We have already moved those out of the way," Nixean said quickly.

"I see," Zant sighed. "That's a shame. Disregard that order, Technician," he said.

Medel Zant Gramis looked out at the battlefield before him. So long as the Vagan forces remained loyal to one so young as he, the battle was all but his.

* * *

Woolf yelped as the ɐ grabbed his beam longsaber in mid-slice with its shining palm—Milias rushed down behind, the Reiber glowing, Ewen not far behind, his beam launcher leveled to unleash a close-range blast. The ɐ spun its head around, and the entire red mouth flipped open like a pair of doors, revealing a charging mass of beam energy.

"I forgot this was even here," Issishar laughed with a shrug as fifty beams lanced out like blasts of lightning, sending both Starks and Shaldoll spinning away, the latter's entire armor glowing from beam wounds. The Shaldoll threw itself back up at the ɐ, Ewen screaming a battlecry as he pulled the trigger. Nova yelled as well and shot up in her Genoace II, DODS rifle blazing.

Issishar sent her Gundam upwards in a blur, easily dodging all the attacks, her senses trained on an approaching storm of missiles. It looked like the Federation had decided to use those against her so she couldn't absorb more beam energy. The Razor dashed into her Gundam's face then, slashing downward with the Apollos in hand. Impressive, Flit Asuno must have disengaged the magnetic field. "How'd you do that?" She snarled, dashing aside as her own sword nearly sliced the ɐ in half. The missiles streaked in, as well as a whole payload from the Starks below, where she could feel the other X-Rounder's presence pulsating with rage.

She didn't know if it would work, but having no other option but to rely on the failing machine's systems, Issishar activated the cloaking field. In a flash of blue light tracing over the mobile suit, the Turn Alpha vanished from sight and sensor. The missiles from the Federation dashed by, Issishar easily evading them. There was a flicker of rage from down below, and a black Genoace and the two Gundams roared up to face her. Issishar laughed. "A positive, a negative, and a monopole," she shook her head with a wry smile. "All three types fighting together, I wonder if you even realize you're not complementing each other."

The golden halo flashed, Issishar dashed forward, preparing to draw on the last of her beam reserves to form a pair of sabers.

* * *

Mobile suits darted through the mess of tumbling construction paraphernalia, beam blasts and missiles filling the battlefield with flashes and explosions as they connected with their targets. Shelter 7 loomed ahead as it broke apart into several different pieces under a renewed assault from Zul Dahala.

A Shaldoll batted aside a saber blow from a Baqto and dashed deeper into the debris, turned and saw an unfamiliar model, green with long, curving horns above its head. The new model approached—a vaguely luminous red light emanated from it for a second, and the Shaldoll exploded.

Inside the Glimrong, Martha scanned the control panel and diagnostics. "Heat levels normal, antimatter compression running smoothly, distributor functions ready for release," she turned her eyes on Zul Dahala. She owed Zant one. She looked around, trying to find what became of the two X-Rounders, Mink and Frost. She found their transponders for a few moments, only to have them vanish amidst the wild fighting. Gripping the controls, she moved deeper toward the debris field, such a mess held no terror for her and the Glimrong's Decimator antimatter shield.

* * *

Slowly, the Vagan forces began to drive toward the construction stations, forcing them to veer away and flee toward open space. _Orions _tried to put up a strong resistance, but the _Fa Raza _avoided direct combat by simply slipping away behind their cloaks and reappearing on the other side of their defensive lines, firing their beam cannons at the unprotected shipyards. The masters of the transport vessels and stations immediately lost hope in the Federation protecting them and gunned their engines all the faster.

One such group looked as if it might finally get away, when a pair of _So Lin _decloaked and rained fire on them, forcing the group of fleeing construction stations into a different direction. With a flash of tracing lines, another pair of _So Lin _appeared and opened fire.

Meanwhile, the _Fa Raza _slowed their pursuit to launch repaired mobile suits and drive the _Orion _destroyers back.

The construction stations charged ahead desperately, the two Vagan groups moving in to flank them on both sides and below. The stations angled upwards and forward, the only viable directions left.

A final _So Lin _decloaked just above them and raked the fleeing construction stations and ships with fire, several _Messich _in the lead began venting air from their cargo holds as they were struck by beam blasts. The beleaguered fugitives started upward—the group began vanishing within a umbrella cloak, which came down not long after, revealing the shimmering hexagonal panels of a Kratos shield forming half a buckeye ball. The shield quickly entrapped the entire fleet of construction stations and ships and slowly closed them in.

Elsewhere throughout the battlefield, similar clusters of stations were ensnared the same way. Four glowing spheres hovered with their contents firmly imprisoned with a _Fa Raza or Son Lin._ Capsules containing mechanoids and troops launched from their cargo holds and sped toward the captive stations to secure them for Vagan.

* * *

**Federation capital ship, **_**Fortuna**_

A hard-eyed, brown haired General Galileo Stone watched the Kratos shields slowly moving away from the battlefield and back to Zul Dahala, which was sitting amidst the remnants of Shelter 7, slowly disappearing behind a half finished Kratos shield of its own, this one glowing ominously dark red against the battlestation's black form.

"Why didn't General Ermings hold them off longer?" Stone growled. "Were the reports of his death true then?"

"We can assume so, Sir," an officer reported. "We have also confirmed General Tamae's death as well. The _Faraday _reports having lost its main bridge and has just arrived at Yard 4 for repairs."

Stone said nothing and began to rub his grizzled chin thoughtfully as he stared at the retreating Kratos units. The shields were outside the barrier, an oversight of the enemy. If they could just reach them and use missiles to take out the generators—the order died in his throat as the buckeye balls vanished behind umbrella cloaks. He smashed his fist down on the armrest of his command chair.

"I fear the battle is becoming too hectic for a coherent strategy," the _Fortuna's _captain said, putting a hand on Stone's clenched fists to try and calm the cantankerous general. "Perhaps a strategic withdrawal is in order."

"It may be in our best interest, General Stone," Cedrick Fondor said from his observer's seat behind the General's chair. "I would hate for the enemy to ensnare this ship in a similar trap."

Stone's eyes widened in surprise at that notion. It had just crossed his mind as well. He looked at a visual feed of the battle. His forces were now clustering closer toward Zul Dahala, while two groups of _Fa Raza _began to come up from above and below, hoping to trap the _Orions _between two lines. In space, there was rarely a case where a pincer movement worked to devastating effect, and could often be worked to the surrounded side's advantage. But now the rules were changed, as the enemy had a way to completely engulf his forces.

"That—Gundam is also a bit frightening," Cedrick said with a very sour face. "That beam sword was longer than us. I fear it could make short work of the _Fortuna, _should the idea occur to Lady Ezelcant." He scowled darkly. "However…_Admiral_—she must _not _be allowed to survive this battle. Even if we must give up this segment of the Forge Zone, Issishar Ezelcant must die today. Consider it the new objective of this fleet."

"Minister?" Stone asked, turning a surprised eye at Fondor.

"Please hurry, there is not much time left before Ezelcant decides to flee."

Admiral Stone turned back and sat even more rigid in his seat. "Move us ahead flank speed, and bring the _Stiles _with us—our objective is Issishar Ezelcant."

* * *

**Zul Dahala**

"As hectic as everything is, trapping the _Fortuna _in a Kratos trap would rob us of the extra protection," Zant said, feeling a bit nervous that he had made the error of leaving the damaged battlestation undefended. It had been McArver who pointed out this oversight and had him correct it—much to Zant's humiliation. Zant's orders afterward were becoming more and more frantic as he lost control of the situation. Now McArver was superimposing on Zant's authority.

"When the buckeyes return, I suggest we pull back to a safer position, such as the debris cluster there," Nixean pointed at the collision point, which—while thinned—still presented a dangerous obstacle.

"I agree," Zant said, a plan forming in his oft-creative mind. "But we should prepare to move quickly—the _Fa Raza _should make an attack on the enemy construction yards they call Yard 4. It will be where they regroup, it would be wise to take away such a staging ground."

"Our forces are overextended and exhausted," Nixean protested. "I know a number of the ship commanders personally—they will not hear of it."

_They would if you _personally _requested them to cooperate, _Zant noted to himself darkly, studying Nixean from the corner of his eye.

"We should recall Lady Pandora then," Zant said. "She will not want to be caught by herself when we withdraw the fleets. Battle group One and Three, please withdraw to the station—time is of the essence."

* * *

"The withdrawal signal," Issishar grunted as she moved the Turn Alpha back in its cloak to avoid another slash from Flit Asuno's Razor Gundam.

A golden flash warned her of the _Fortuna _approaching with a small contingent of their smaller vessels, beam fire blazing. This was getting dangerous—it was time to finish this battle and show the world what became of those who opposed Vagan's fury. She checked a screen indicating that her _Fa Raza, _the _Coronet, _was hanging in the background, its cameras trained on her battle to capture every moment.

With a scream, Flit Asuno dashed at the ɐ as it decloaked and dashed at him, forming a beam saber. The other five machines came in charging as well, beam weapons ablaze. The ɐ backflipped underneath Apollos as Flit came at her with a lateral swing. She came up with beam saber in hand to block the G-Exes' blows—she grabbed one if its arms even as the Starks rushed in to spear her with the Reiber. Issishar dashed forward, pushing the G-Exes back with a full burst of the ɐ's thrusters and slammed it into the Starks, which tried to move out of the way—right into the Vagan Gundam's face-mounted beam cannon, blowing off unit II's head and leg with a pair of precise beam blasts—at the same time as this Issishar activated the Alpha's shining palms and broke the G-Exes' arm off at the elbow and used its still active saber to block a strike coming from the white machine's other saber. Then the ɐ grabbed the G-Exes, moved it behind its back to stop Milias from stabbing with the Reiber again—swung the G-Exes at the Razor as it came in for a second slash and dashed after the two suits as they collided. Issishar took the beam longsaber and slashed off the Razor's arm, taking up the Apollos once more as she rushed back at the Starks, throwing the blade to the side where it buried itself in Ewen's mega launcher and blew the beam cannon apart.

"Ewen!" Nova screamed as she watched the Shaldoll fall back under the barrage of shrapnel, the Apollos buried in its cockpit.

In the aftermath of the explosion, Issishar grabbed the Starks and used its own thruster power to swing Milias around in a circle, hurling her back at the G-Exes and Razor, which spread apart, caught the dark blue Gundam so all three could roar back down.

The two Genoace had made it to her now, their damaged frames still able to wield a pair of beam sabers as they rushed in. Issishar trapped Kannas' saber slash with a hook kick to the Genoace II's elbow, absorbed Nova's saber as she flipped the ɐ upside down—hurling Kannas into the Starks, knocking it off balance in time for Issishar to grab its Reiber and redirect its beam energy into a thin plate that absorbed Nova's second slash and Woolf's DODS rifle beam. Issishar grabbed the brown Genoace II by the head and hurled it into the swirling explosion of beam energy and dove between the Starks and Razor as they rushed in. The Reiber flew back behind Issishar as she threw with her Gundam's left arm, simultaneously stabbing Nova's machine as she dodging the Razor's snapping claws, which had been aiming at the limb. With her remaining arm, Issishar buried a shining beam covered palm into the top of the Stark's chest, grabbing a handful of wires flying from its head socket and bringing it around to slam into the Razor, forcing both machines back.

Ever moving, Issishar followed them, drawing on beam energy to slash both struggling machines brutally—dodging the Razor's strikes and grabbing the Starks to throw it back in, using her powers to send a constant stream of mental energy at her targets. Another Extrasensor would find the psychic chatter mildly irritating, but an X-Rounder's more simplistic nerve endings could not withstand the barrage and prevented both Milias and Flit from thinking clearly. Not that it would have saved them from the ɐ as it grabbed both Gundams and hurled them back at the G-Exes as it rushed down, the Apollos in hand. Issishar spun and unleashed a blinding wave of beam energy, dispersed wide and barely enough to heat up the G-Exes' armor. But it blinded Woolf Enneacle, who was not an X-Rounder and couldn't sense the incoming attack—for just long enough. Issishar swept passed, grabbed the G-Exes by the pelvis—crushed its internal joints so the legs could no longer move with a shining palm—and threw it back into the Razor as Flit turned on her in a desperate rage. He could have killed Issishar easily with a bladed kick, but chose to preserve Woolf's life instead.

Issishar laughed derisively as she hurled the Apollos, spearing the G-Exes' chest and dashing into the Starks as it rushed to stop the blade in mid-flight. Milias screamed as she missed the blade and the Turn Alpha fired a blast from its mouth beam cannon, hurling the Starks backward, its torso smoking.

"_Woolf!? Woolf? _Flit stared at the silent machine, sure that the red blade had missed the cockpit, still unsure as well if it would explode or not. He felt Milias' presence full of fear and outrage and new she too was alive, but out of the battle.

In that two second period it took him to stop his battle to see if they were alive, Issishar dashed in, the golden eyes of the Gundam shining with menace. "You should have kicked me when you had the opportunity! It's these _weaknesses _that make humanity such a JOKE!" Issishar cackled, using shining beam palms to knock away the Razor's remaining blades and opening itself to the Mantis claws as they dashed forward. Issishar let the blades strike her Gundam's armor, piercing the super heard Gundarium but not enough to tear through the legs. She grabbed both claws just inside the sockets in the legs and ripped them out. With a laugh, she unleashed a blast of beam energy accumulating on the palms and thrust them at the Gundam, which dashed away, but was struck in the shoulder and sent spinning.

* * *

Ivon Alfenoa finally exited the collision point debris field, his Sylph battered and missing an arm, the other busy spearing a _very _persistent Gafran in the face with his beam saber. He drew the burning blade from the ruined machine and darted away as it self-destructed, his eyes trained on a group of ruined mobile suits. He blinked as he recognized them as the units of his own team. He heard Nova's voice breaking over the comm., sobbing quietly. Ivon drew closer to the ruined machines, and scowled. "Looks like I missed the party."

* * *

The ɐ dashed after the Razor, slashing it again and again with its glowing hot palms, raking the armor with its fingers to leave gashes and tears. Flit screamed and drew a beam saber, but Issishar grabbed the blade and pushed her machine to maximum speed, sending both the AGE-1 and ɐ flying up above the approaching _Fortuna _and toward her hidden warship. Now above the battlefield, surrounded by nothing but stars, Issishar formed a beam saber and slashed off both the Razor's legs and arm. Flit drew a final saber, screaming through tears of rage as he turned it point-first at the Gundam of his fondest memories and drove it down.

"DIE!"

The blade struck the Gundam's chest, but the golden armor did not give just yet. Then the blade blew away like dry sand in a gale and combined with the ɐ's saber to form a glowing beam sword. Issishar's other hand, glowing with beam energy, stabbed the Razor's remaining shoulder and blew it apart—then buried each of its burning fingers into the AGE-1's chest crest and slowly raked downward.

Flit screamed as electricity raked over the controls and blew them into his face, piercing his suit with burning pieces of shrapnel—the world grew dark. Slowly, as the night shrouded his vision, he looked out the ripped open cockpit to find the Turn Alpha floating triumphantly over the decapitated remains of the AGE-1, holding the Gundam's head high above in a glowing hand for all of Vagan to see. He felt Issishar smile at him, and the head shattered in a blazing crackle.

Blackness.

* * *

Issishar flung the remains of the AGE-1 aside dramatically and turned the Gundam around to face the _Fortuna _as it rose up to face her. She had been saving this for the finale, and she feared it would ruin the old Turn Alpha forever, even now warning alarms flashed and damage sirens wailed as the warn-out systems failed one by one. However, she could think of no other way for the legendary Gundam to end its last battle. Eyes glowing as it roared down with a burst of light, Issishar maneuvered the Gundam through a slew of beam fire. So much blazed up at her that dodging it all was impossible, melting off pieces of its once sleek armor bit by bit. She threw the Turn Alpha's arms behind it and to the side, letting them absorb all the power they could, half melting the arms and leaving a pair of burning streaks of energy behind the Gundam.

Now only a hundred meters away, she drew the Gundam back up and flung its ruined arms at the Fortuna, hurling the pair of beam blasts at its bridge. The beams sailed wide slightly, striking the base of the bridge tower and blowing it apart in a flash. She noted it had _two _bridge towers, one above and the other beneath, and cursed as the enemy trained all its firepower on her. Mobile suits dashed up from below, and the _Orion _class raised its beam cannons to the onslaught.

The golden chest armor on the ɐ swiveled open, deploying a pair of guns that glowed bright and hot with concentrated heat, Issishar pressed the trigger.

* * *

Aboard the _Fortuna's _lower bridge, Admiral Stone and Cedrick Fondor looked at the bridge officer as he spun around with an ashen face. "Admiral! The heat signature on that mobile suit is rising rapidly! It's almost at five thousand degrees! And climbing!"

"Shoot her down!" Screamed Fondor in terror, "Shoot her down _NOW!"_

* * *

The guns erupted with a crimson and white blast as Issishar pressed on the trigger and fired the twin barreled antimatter cannon—From a distance, it looked like a supernova erupted from the Fortuna, hurling it into five different pieces. The _Orion _class disappeared as a piece of the capital ship flew down and impaled it through the engine block, and the mobile suits scattered before the ɐ as it turned its horned face toward them and lit up its shimmering eyes, now blue.

"Warning, internal power core is not functioning properly, overload immanent, please correct," an enunciator warned.

As the computer repeated the message, Issishar cloaked her Gundam and sped for Zul Dahala as it drifted into the center of the debris cluster, its crimson shield complete.

Lightyears away, the people of Second Moon hurled their fists in the air in triumph as they watched their princess hold aloft the head of the AGE-1 as she had sworn to do.

In the now stillness of her cockpit, Issishar felt she could almost hear their shouts of praise.

* * *

**March 5****th****, AG118-Earh Sphere, Forge Zone**

Flit Asuno stood inside a vast research facility within Yard 4, watching as workers hurriedly moved equipment into storage units. The enemy had just recently attacked Yard 4 in a furious assault, using masses of wreckage captured by Kratos shield bubbles and released them on the battlefield in a similar way Grodek had hurled asteroids into Ambat. Somehow, the enemy commander had become dangerously bold and relentless, throwing all sorts of nasty tricks into the battle, such as interference cones disguised as asteroids, catching Federation ships off-guard to disable their electronics. Another was the introduction of throwing out cloak generators inside missiles, which attached to Federation vessels and made them disappear from sensor range, effectively blinding allies to their whereabouts and disrupting proper communication and transfer of orders.

Flit had learned who this new tactician was, Medel Zant Gramis. He thought back to his first encounter with the boy, when he was piloting a mere Gafran. If only he had known! Yet another failure, Flit grabbed his hair and thought about ripping it out.

Beside him, Nova Omusa put a hand on his shoulder. "You did all you could. The enemy princess has yet to sortie, perhaps you did more damage than you thought."

"You don't have to console me," Flit said quietly. He looked up at the red and white sword being stowed inside the AGE Builder, hopefully to uncover its technological secrets and composition. Something as sharp as this blade needed to be used again. "I'm so sorry, it was my fault Ewen died. My fault entirely."

"Flit," Nova said, turning him around, her eyes searching his, "No one expects you to bear the burdens of the world by yourself. Why do you do that so constantly?"

"A long time ago, I was told by someone that I had a reason to keep on living in this world. If my comrades die and I live, I know it's my responsibility to carry on in their place. I've been doing that ever since Orvan"-he laughed-"I can't stop now."

"No one is asking you to stop moving forward, but you don't have to save the world yourself," she smiled and pointed at the sword. "Ewen died by this blade, and while I thought I would hate the sight of it, it reminds me that his sacrifice wasn't totally in vain. We gained something from that battle, and who knows? We may never have been able to if Ewen had not died."

"That's childish thinking," Flit retorted, not meaning to be so cold. "Sorry," he said, turning away from Nova's frown. "I didn't mean it like that."

"It's true," Nova said after a moment to his surprise. "My name means Chasing Butterflies, cute no? I always thought it was an ironic name for me. I spent most of my life chasing things, most of them ended up being worthless—so I feel impressed that someone as young as you knows what he wants to do with his life. But," she turned to face him. "You're making the same mistake I did, when I felt I had failed people who depended on me. I sought solitude, and have lived by myself for years—until Ewen died. If I had grown to love, I feared I would hurt more, but that is even more selfish than the reverse. There are those who still care about you, Flit. Go to Tordia, and then Torrian or wherever you wish. Chase after a dream, that will leave something worthwhile in its place. This war will breed only more chaos, and fighting it with the notion it is all your responsibility will not win it any faster."

Nova started to walk away, "I look forward to fighting alongside you again someday, Flit."

He watched her go, and then opened up the AGE device, where a picture of Emily stared back at him, waiting. His dream of the Gundam was shattered, and the war raged on—but for now, not for Flit Asuno.


	28. Interlude On Saturn's Rings

_**Interlude**_

Much has happened in the war since Angel fell, the brutal free-for-all inside the Forge Zone continues, trapping Flit Asuno from returning to Colony Tordia. However, despite the tales that are spun from this part of the conflict, much has been told, but so much more still left untold, and little time to tell it before all is forgotten. So we must away from this age in the war, and pass through the many small accounts, not slowing again until the next generation's battles when these of the first are won or unresolved.

Hopefully, a good deal of emotion will still be felt in these small portions of the story, but so much like history, it is these small snippets that are ever remembered at all, the many pieces of the saga's tapestry spread amongst the innumerable minds of those who lived out and shaped the war.

**On Saturn's Rings**

**Forge Zone, Zul Dahala Fifteenth Mobile Suit Deck, hanger area**

Telemari Agori stepped out as her Gafran's face irised open even as the mangled and blackened mobile suit floated into reach of the docking arms. Fettered in place, the Gafran was moved inside the mobile suit brace, joining the clamor of other Gafrans slamming against the back of the braces. Fifteenth was almost a hundred meters high, the many, rectangular shaped hanger braces stacked atop one another in tight rows with only ten meters space between.

Telemari looked up at the ceiling for a moment at the traffic of mechanicians moving above her head, higher and higher up to the top of the girder lined ceiling, where crane arms juggled along their rails, carrying grey cargo crates or spare, unpainted mobile suit limbs. Some of the arms used sprayers to color Gafran arms before lowering them down to the awaiting machine. Telemari squinted as she smelled the odor of paint wafting down into the greater stench of burning metal and lubricant. Brushing aside droplets of brown oil she whipped her ponytail back into her flightsuit expertly and replaced the helmet so she wouldn't have to wash out oil from the hair later. Even as she did, tiny specks of lubricant and sweat splattered against her helmet. Hangers were messy when gravity wasn't enabled.

"Sorry," a female mechanician called, waving her arm in apology as she and several others manhandled a gutted power core, its many wires still sparking dangerously as they floated about the sphere like tentacles.

Telemari might have complained but she had better things to complain about than flung sweat. Her face set in a scowl, she marched forward resolutely, noticing Martha Reed's green Glimrong floating overhead slowly, missing an arm and a good deal of its torso, which sparked almost as much as the disembodied power core. She felt no worries for the younger pilot though, not while something worse was happening elsewhere in the hanger.

She had to dodge crews through the gantries and dimly lit pits beneath the floor panels, where a goodly portion of the supplies lay stored. Metal grating would slide away as a mechanician passed up, forcing her to be on the lookout for potential collisions. She fumed with impatience at how long it was taking. _Delays! Out of my! Who designed this place?!_

She reached the elevator and pressed the control taking her to Deck Sixteen, the last of the hangers on this segment of the vast station.

With a sudden rush of fury to her already flushed cheeks, Telemari flung off her helmet so she could scream louder at the group of busy men and women in white lab coats moving about the Veinidorr in its vaguely arrowhead shaped mobile armor form. With a clanking of gears it slowly transformed, prostrating itself on the ground as gravity took hold in that area. Telemari maneuvered with her verniers to the floor and stepped across the glowing red ring segregating the Veinidorr's launch bay from the rest of the hanger, which rung and rumbled as _Fa Raza _and other support craft slid into their births. No one was happy about today's events and many wanted to get their vessels loaded for a new battle. As such not too many helmsmen worried about a smooth docking procedure. To the scientists facing the ominous incursion of Telemari Agori into their midst, the rolling bangs of prow hitting metal were a background noise.

"_Scum!_" She pushed at the air with one hand as she took resolute steps forward, half her concentration bent on not tangling her foot in the spiderweb of crisscrossing wires and tubing. "Wait one!" She glanced down and stepped hurriedly yet cautiously through a particularly tangled mess of black cables, one of which might have shocked her had she not been wearing her pilot's suit. "What is this?" She demanded hotly, pointing her middle finger at a very strange looking device that appeared to be a computer terminal with ten or so holoscreens, all of which hung over a white gurney, its padded straps opened and ready for a subject.

"Hold her," one of the men commanded, a stout, serious looking individual with none-too-pleasant boils on his face, and a crooked patch of scar tissue knotting above his left eye, which was a dark, merciless brown stone.

"Touch me and one of you gets a trip to the infirmary!"

"Calm down."

"Please desist," a woman said, stepping forward with her hands outstretched imploringly. "You could destabilize the entire procedure."

"We have authority here, Ensign Agori," the leader among them said with a raised voice. "Please leave or remain quiet."

"What is that setup for? What are these wires? What is _that_?" She pointed as a tripod on a set of wheels passed through several of the X-Rounder scientists as they clustered awkwardly near the side of the Veinidorr. It had a long metal shaft that ended in a pair of pylons, which grasped a very, very big syringe and needle with a shiny tip poised downward slightly to stab somebody right at forehead level. "Answer me this minute, I have security clearance!"

"This? This is..uh," the speaking scientist wrung his hands nervously as he gauged Telemari's fierce expression. "Gasher, this could upset the whole project-

-I know," the scarred man, Gasher, said in a slow voice. "We have reason to believe Angelo Enreze is experiencing progress in the program. This is a very crucial stage for us, please remain silent and at a distance, Ensign-

-Oh, I'm not staying quiet, or at a distance until I see what you people are doing to Angelo! He was acting strange during that fight and he almost got killed! I know you're hiding him so get out of the way." She snarled, kicking a very small robotic drone as it passed by with what appeared to be blood samples of some kind. The box-shaped machine slammed against a metal canister with warning labels on it and shattered the tubes in its carrier, the red liquid oozing to the dark grey floor of the hanger.

One of the female scientists gasped in outrage, while the rest stared at the canister with half-raised hands, as if terrified it might have been damaged—or explode, Telemari noted warily.

"The next thing I smash will be the canister"—Telemari threatened.

"No! Don't do that!" Several voices cried out in horror. _Explode then. _

"You're the X handlers. Angelo is not an X-Rounder, what business do you have with him? And this…mad science equipment!"

"Was that a question?" One of the more cowardly looking handlers asked, a squat, tiny little man with messy black hair.

"Yes!" Telemari reached Gasher, who looked very unfriendly and about ready to call over a mechanoid. Let him. She _did _have clearance, given her supervision over Frost and Mink, and as far as she cared, these people might as well not have any clearance of their own at all!

One of the women stepped back to allow the needle machine through, its vile filled with silver liquid that appeared to be expanding and growing at an alarming rate.

Angelo followed a moment later, his face impassive, despite a rather nasty looking wound in the corner between his nose and left eye. "Angelo, please move to the gurney for examination," the female scientist said. He obeyed, quickening his pace. Telemari moved toward him, but several of the white coated X-Rounder handlers dashed in front of her to block her way even as Gasher took hold of her arm and drew her back roughly.

"I am afraid you are the one who is mistaken," Gasher said to her, letting go. "Angelo Enreze is our willing test subject for the Nanos-zsell project. He is indisposed at the moment, please remove yourself from his presence before you cause lasting damage to his programming!"

"Programming?" Telemari asked, her voice becoming dangerously calm, almost conversational.

Feeling as though he'd just made significant progress with this emotionally impaired female, Gasher straightened and smiled slightly, putting his hands behind his back proudly. "Angelo Enreze is soon to have his consciousness completely…reorganized into the perfect combat computer! His targeting and reactionary skills are of a quality—taahgh"—He put a hand to his burning face, now staring across the other side of the hanger from where he had been looking moments before the powerful blow. This female was a violent, irrational animal! She must be removed before she became even more violent! He turned his head slowly back to face her.

"Ensign, if you do not calm yourself immediately, I will put a formal complaint that will send you back to Mars Sphere."

"Don't use our home as a THREAT!" Telemari thundered, whirling away before she _did _slap him again. Her tensed hands viced a pair necks, parting two of the scientists to either side. She was at the gurney in an instant. One of the rabble tried to stun her with his pistol, but a draw faster than just about any other in the station sent him spiraling away, a smoking hole in his uniform just below the collar bone—she had decided set her pistol from stun to mildly destructive—Telemari stopped short as she confronted Angelo Enreze face to face.

His eyes were bright, glowing teal, his face ashen, with an almost silver tint to it if the light struck it the wrong way. He was impassive, unresponsive even with her a mere foot away. "Angelo, are you alright?" She asked, mildly shocked to see the wound between eye and nose completely gone from his face, replaced by a vaguely lozenge shaped patch of scaly skin that quickly disappeared before her eyes. "Angelo." She repeated, trying desperately to find one ounce of recognition from those eyes. There was none.

"Angelo Enreze, do you recognize her from your memory?" One of the scientists prompted. There was silence for a moment, so the man tried a different tack. "Angelo, please identify the woman in front of you."

"Ensign Telemari Agori, graduate from standard military academy of Keshae colony at the rank of subordinate pilot, staff sergeant equivalent. Female, promoted to Ensign circa AG115, quartermaster aboard the _Rondo Fa Raza _class battleship. Mental Stabilizer for X-Rounder combat subjects Dole Frost Nara and Anelle Drosros."

Telemari was stunned, listening to his voice as if it were a computer, the gruff tone he typically adopted was gone, now replaced by something much, much more artificial. "It was the Nanos-zsells, you've poisoned him with that machine!" She turned her eye on the Veinidorr. That was one mobile suit that had an "accident" waiting on the battlefield in its near future.

"Is that all?" The scientist asked, scribbling notes on a holopad projected in front of him via a small half mask reaching across his face like a claw. Telemari hadn't seen Gasher put it on.

"That is all the official information I have gathered so far, other possible details are still unknown." Replied Angelo immediately in a dead monotone.

"Is that all you have to say?" Telemari cried out suddenly, stepping forward. "Angelo, what happened to you? Is this what you were worried about? Why didn't you tell someone what they were DOING?! We could have helped somehow!" She watched as Angelo started walking away as if her shouts in his ear were unnoticeable. "Is it because of Frost and Mink that you let this happen? It didn't work Angelo! You didn't have to put this burden on yourself! Angelo! Isn't there anything else you can say? Have they Really _erased_ everything…" Telemari dropped her head and smiled slightly as the simple truth finally took hold and slapped reason from her. The pair of scientists gingerly holding her back let go and stepped aside, their faces _surprisingly _sympathetic.

"This is for a good cause," the female scientist said comfortingly. "With soldiers like Angelo, we can field fewer than necessary. Children like those two kids you babysit won't have to fight anymore. He _didn't _fail. He just had to.." she stopped as the other man beside her shook his head. "I'm terribly sorry. We should have kept him more isolated until the process was done. Or told you about it before now."

"I would have stopped you," Telemari said, looking back up as Angelo Enreze departed, the X-Rounder handlers already beginning to gather up their equipment.

* * *

"He performed well," Gasher said to his lead assistant, a brunet with long, graceful eyelashes named Tatila.

"Of course, Sir," Tatila said.

"My…friend.."

"Hmm, what did you say Tatila?"

"It was the subject Sir. Speaking of, we need to designate him with a new codename to celebrate the successful transformation into our first fully operational biological combat system!"

"Indeed. But what did you say, Angelo?"

Angelo did not speak again.

* * *

"Telemari," Mink called in a very trepidated tone, violet light pulsing from her suit as she stopped near the older woman, who was floating idly in the sea of hanger hands moving about their business, machine parts and tools passing by all around her.

"We heard Angelo say something in the battle," Frost added, stopping by a moment later, his dark violet hair swirling about his head like an evening cloud. "Telemari…?"

"Is he hurt?" Mink asked, eyes wide. She grabbed at Telemari's hand urgently. "Is he hurt? It was because of us that he snapped like that right? It's OUR Fault if he is! Say something," she demanded, some of her typical fire returning to her voice.

Telemari looked down and extricated herself from Mink's hands. "Get a grip," She lightly slapped Mink across the face, not enough for it to sting, but enough for the child to realize she meant business. "You're both _soldiers._ Straighten up. This behavior is no longer tolerable."

"Telemari, that was uncalled for," Frost said, taken aback by her attitude.

"If you have any balls to speak of shut up and deal with it," Telemari commanded, a full order from her, if in tone and nothing else. "I made a mistake. You learned in your training not to form any lasting relationships with your comrades, romantic or social. People die—or worse—in wartime. I'm having your rooms moved, Mink will be operating with a different unit than ours. That goes for Frost too."

"WHAT?" Mink shouted, drawing attention from all around the tightly spaced rows of hanger braces, the mechanicians looking over their shoulder at the sight of the two Xies getting a real rundown by their commander. "You're splitting us up?! What about, wha, what about our teamwork? Frost and I are a team. And you too."

Mink's wide, desperate eyes were more frightened than Telemari had ever seen. But this had to be done, it was for their survival and sanity. "And if something happened to Frost—or me, what would you do? We can't rightly answer those questions until it happens, and that might be too late then to save you."

"Wait, Mink needs support," Frost hissed in her ear as he stepped behind her, leaning close.

"What're you two whispering about?" Mink demanded, sounding almost on the brink of tears, a novelty to everyone within visible range.

"If she loses her comfort zones for two weeks straight I promise she'll end up like that Bloody Dragon Xie. They said they put him away because they feared he might just go snap crazy without warning. He smeared people's _bodies _on his_ Gafran._ _That's _what Mink will do, turn into a maniac!"

"Don't lecture me," Telemari whirled and slapped _him _in the face, quite hard enough to draw blood from his burst lip. "Disrespect my authority like that again and it's the brig for forty eight hours. Now," she rubbed her aching hand. Boy did it feel good though! She needed to kick something. "This is for your betterment. If neither of you can work with the military and follow the rules by yourselves, then you're not good together running amok like this is some kind of mental institute."

"I am not crazy." Mink said, her whole body visibly vibrating with emotion, her fists clinching tighter and tighter.

"I'm sorry I had to do this, but it's for the best you two learn this lesson the hard way or not at all. If you get past it this kind of loss won't hurt either of you anywhere near it did me." With that Telemari departed, not looking back.

"Telemari," Mink called weakly, before putting down her hand and moving over to Frost, who wrapped his arm around her as they watched the sullen Ensign go.

* * *

**Sargo Zone**

"Whoever created these things had a very nasty sense of humor." The grumpy old female pirate, Wilma Nightflare, said as she passed a calloused had over the side of the last obelisk.

Grodek Ainoa sighed and stood up with her, "Or a lack of one," he admitted.

"How are things here?" Angrazzo Lambro asked, walking into the room, Iris Julia not far behind. The young captain flipped up his eyepatch so he could look the black obelisk over with both eyes. "Its wires are all packed nice inside."

"Like it's not even a machine anymore," Iris said, coming up behind him. "Did we find the coordinates?" She asked, her voice barely containing her growing suspense.

"If we had, I would be dancing a jig," Largan Drace said, arms crossed as he leaned against a far wall; disgruntled after such a long wait with nothing to show for Grodek's efforts.

Angrazzo and Iris shared a glance before looking back at Grodek. "Well? Care to explain that?"

Wilma took the lead, passing Grodek with a frown that wrinkled her already lined face. She took her shawl from a nearby chair and wrapped it around her thin shoulders, having worn only a simple one-piece jumpsuit that failed to keep out the chill of the station's atmosphere. "If only we _hadn't _found anything. I would feel better than right now," Wilma muttered darkly. "I'd do unspeakable things to whoever did this." She pointed with her thumb back at the obelisk, sitting pristine and mysterious. "There's more of these floating around, and it has given us only a general locations as to where."

Angrazzo smacked his head into his hand. "Don't tell me that!" He groaned. "I'm not wasting my whole life on a mad scavenger hunt! Especially with that Jasmine woman and SID chasing my ass the whole time!"

"Is that all these obelisks are? Pieces to a map telling us where more pieces are? It's a wild goose chase!" Julia complained. "The EXA-DB can't be worth this, it may not even exist."

"It exists," Grodek assured her quickly. He scowled. "Sadly, it appears getting close to the Database will result in its purging the data and transferring a copy directly into SID, which will be problematic considering what we know it can do to our current defenses. Chasing it would be akin to hunting down the Kraken in a fishing boat and harpoons."

"Scratch going after the DB," Angrazzo said, hanging his head. Julia wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Oh, it won't be that bad Ang. We can still search for the obelisks. It shouldn't take quite as along, right Wilma?"

"Wise observation," the old woman said with a stiff nod. "Now that we know where to look, at least generally, this should not be quite so big an endeavor. Unfortunately, it will require time and a safe haven for us to return to."

"I suggest relocating our operation to the Bisidian base. It is in the Asgard Cluster, correct, Angrazzo?" Grodek asked.

"Yes, but If we tell the others about this, the entire pirate group could tear itself apart fighting over this 'treasure'. It's the kind of thing people like Bisidian dream about," warned Angrazzo.

"This brings us to another sour topic," Grodek warned. He glanced at Julia for a moment. "We cannot risk telling Ract Elfamel about this, or he will send the whole Bisidian out to gather these pieces. If he does such a thing, no one will probably find the EXA-DB. We need to wait before contacting him with this news."

"He will grow suspicious about our silence," warned Angrazzo.

"Then convince him to leave it in our capable hands," Wilma said. "Otherwise some random dick is going find the location of the DB, and we will be forced to hunt down SID and somehow capture it without significantly destroying it. I don't plant to help you if it comes to that, by the way."

"I'll see what I can do," Angrazzo said, stepping back.

Grodek eyed Julia, who had a slightly uncomfortable look, before Angrazzo put his arm around her and led her toward the door. "One final word of warning, Captain," Grodek called after the retreating pair. "We still haven't found the spy. Whoever it is, they are good and careful with how they leak accurate information. We will need to take precautions against Jasmine and assume she will be working with equal information as ourselves."

"Right," Angrazzo replied, somewhat wearily. "I've kept my eye out, but whoever it is, has been a member of the crew since the very beginning, or near enough that I can't figure out who. Maybe Mhatt. But he doesn't have the tact for it…" Angrazzo shrugged and continued on, leaving Grodek, Largan, and Wilma alone for the moment.

"I don't like this," Wilma folded her arms, face cross with disgust. "To think one of the crew I _handpicked _for the old _Nightingale _is a spy for that Jasmine woman. How could this be?" She looked down. "My old hubby will start haunting me over this I know."

"There was no way for you to guess where the crew's true loyalties lay," Grodek said, glancing at Largan, who turned to look away with a sheepish frown. "It's not unusual for people you trust explicitly to be hiding something from you. However, it is very likely that Jasmine's accomplice was not originally in her employ."

"It's still gonna give me sleepless nights," Wilma muttered. "Never know when someone's gonna knife you in the back."

"Let us hope we are only dealing with spies, and not assassins."

* * *

**Sargo Zone outskirts, **_**Fa Raza **_**class battleship, **_**Edenran**_

Issishar Ezelcant floated lithely in front of the window aboard the _Edenran, _watching as the very, very hard to spot _Phalanx _class battleship hung in the darkness just out of her range of physical vision. Encircled by the swirling ocean that was Issishar's Extrasensor powers, it was plain to see, outlined by a faint blue and glowing with the candles of the busy little brains within its hull.

She imagined the picture looked very similar to a bottle containing a bunch of fireflies…Only the bottle was shaped like a _Diva _carrier class vessel.

Issishar felt her blood tickled by the rage simmering beneath the surface as she stared at what became the scene of her ultimate defeat and untimely imprisonment. She had been able to scavenge out a small win by ensuring her survival, but the result was a haywire and ruined research cluster. How many technological breakthroughs were floating, frozen and lost inside that cloud of debris? Had they managed to complete the cell research? She doubted it, but one could only wonder if a new, brilliant mind had made their way to the Sargo Zone and picked up where their predecessors had been forced to leave off.

If only she could get her hands on a small figment of that knowledge, then she could use those Nanos-zsells to increase her lifespan by a hundred years or more! Without mind-withering side effects like turning into a robot drone! She moved the holopad up to her face and scowled menacingly at the report from the X-Rounder corps for good measure, even if it couldn't feel her fear. That thought irritated her, despite the logical whimsicalness of it, and she tapped the delete button with a dramatic flourish of her hand before her finger descended and struck the circle circumscribed X icon. With a _booup _the file was deleted as if it had never been, the screen flickering and dissolving into a blank purple rectangle.

She only wished books were as easy to destroy as she grabbed the tome she had been contemplating before her arrival here at the Sargo Zone. Oh how she wished it hadn't been burned to a crisp! Really, if it was going to cheat fate and survive what must have been a point-blank particle cannon shot than it might as well have been legible! Whatever was on it had to be valuable! "Giant leatherbound volumes don't just float around space near the Ring of Hermes without reason! Especially amongst the wreckage of that Federation ship." She looked over her memories and compared them to the silhouette of the still functioning vessel outside the viewport, which had moved to a different location with the moving, shifting wreckage. They were the same, of course. But that meant little to her. Except that this book could have been a very important logbook filled with juicy information!

"Alas, one must not bemoan the dead to speak, for the dead do not answer," Issishar intoned with mock solemnity, placing the charred ruins of the book into the incinerator like it was a mausoleum. She swung the door shut without preamble and pressed the ignition button as she turned back toward her couch, wishing she could hear the flames charring what was left of the book to tiny, itsy bitsy particles. Maybe it couldn't be of use now, but could become something useful after recycling! If she didn't just dump the ashes inside food in the cafeteria and see what the ship personnel thought of it.

_Will they notice, or will they choke on the burnt remains of processed wood and tanned animal skin? Hmm, no, it'll have to be in just a few meals so they can get an ample taste._

Still busy with this train of idle thought, Issishar did not pay head to the attendant entering her room after a sharp rap on the door, nor the people gossiping in the rooms above, or the incinerator dinging to alert her of the book's final destruction, nor even the shuttle departing the skulking Federation ship and the tingling transmission it was using to hail her ship. Gosh but being near omniscient was annoying!

"Lady Eve, the-

-Dammit I know! Yes accept their request to board, lock all guns to port at the piece of twisted colony frames just in case, bring their messenger here after a _thorough_ examination;the ash bin _does _need emptying so go ahead and do that, and no I don't need anything to eat, drink, or enjoy at this time and I will call you when ready. Yes, you were interrupting me, as are the people upstairs deciding whether or not to put itch powder in my bed tonight—it was your idea so go tell them if they do it all of you shall suffer unimaginable agony equal if not greater than your average nightmares"—Issishar paused for breath, having babbled off each answer to the thoughts springing from her server's mind.

Stunned, yet not quite tongue-tied, the attendant shuffled his feet awkwardly. "It shall be done, Lady Eve. I-

-Yes I know, all fun and games, eh? But remember, I am not my father and will not have a good humored laugh about it. Why he didn't put the fear of himself in you I'll never know. But I will! Attempt any sort of prank on me, and you shall face the terrors of a true master!"

"I-I apologize, please forgive my impertinence!" Wailed the young man, shrinking back like the cowed sheep that he was.

_Gee, doesn't that sound strange put together? A cowed sheep?_ Issishar thought in a moment of humor. "Well, what are you standing there for? A tip? Get going before I give you something to truly whimper about!" She commanded imperiously, pointing a long-nailed hand at the door. She inwardly smiled with satisfaction as the attendant rushed from the room as if struck.

While she waited for the coming of the shuttle's occupants, one of which was a rather devious, black-hearted mind with treacherous thoughts like cobwebs, Issishar lounged lazily on the couch, ignoring her messy hair (why bother in space? And she liked zero g, reminded her of the lab's training room) as it lay tangled behind her, Isisshar filed her nails into wicked points. Mentally, she had some rather nasty fun with the pranksters upstairs, who were now forcefully engaged in totally embarrassing acts right in front of her attendant, who had rushed straight to the lounge in order to stop his friends from incurring her wrath. Oh, the quartermaster would not be happy. But then, the poor fools would never know how to explain what happened, and psychic manipulation was not going to come to the top of their list of excuses, even amongst themselves!

Well, they better be thankful this was all she was doing to them. She would much prefer to send a Worm into their minds and leave them as drooling vegetables on the lounge floor, forever warped and deranged. But they were only wanting to prank her, and a darn good method of going about it too. Imagine actually using it in the washing detergent! She couldn't remember someone using a successfully compound like that in years and years! Not since her when she was still at the lab.

"Besides, they're enjoying themselves, at least while I've got my hold on them," she reasoned. The shame and revulsion would come later. She smiled. Shame, such a strange relationship she had with it. On one hand she used it to punish would-be pranksters, on the other hand part of her wanted to banish that annoying product of the conscience forever!

She looked out her window again, at the distant Arctic landscape of half frozen ocean. She had watched the colony drop shelter fall during the catastrophe here in the Sargo, when the enemy forces attacked the research colonies. Curse her father for his interference! It was all his fault. How dare he say he loved her after all that! He didn't love her. She took a calming breath and resumed her train of thought. It was her last resort to keeping them from the controller, the key to the end of the world. If only her father hadn't been standing in her way back then! And the research complete. She could have gained immortality and wiped the board cleans intended.

However, like all grand schemes, sometimes the smallest things could make them go awry. And just like all great schemers, here she was at the Sargo again when all her old enemies were gone. The only thing stopping her was that she could not yet figure out where the pod had actually ended up. There was no real way to search for it easily, and she couldn't imagine it would stay stationary within the North Sea for long. It had probably drifted off somewhere to a deep Atlantic crevasse, where she would have to search for it more carefully. Besides, her chances of successfully conducting the search with enemies swarming her was small.

She was just thinking that perhaps she should risk a search, when the door hissed open and a pair of guards entered to flank the doorway for her protection.

"Kneel before the great Lady Pandora!" The two guards shouted, an added touch to the ceremony thanks to a quick blurt of her power. The two men stared at each other in mild shock, surprised at their own voices. The figure outside stepped in, wearing a black dress that seemed to meld with her long, graceful black hair, which suddenly flew away from her back as she stepped into the anti-gravity field beyond the thin green circle surrounding Issishar's living quarters.

Stunned at the sudden lack of purchase, the woman panicked for a second and flailed pathetically, wrapping the hem of her dress around her long, thin legs quickly as she realized it was flipping up in a very revealing way. The two guards looked away quickly. Hissing in rage, the woman turned back to Issishar.

Issishar winked at her and sat up, stowing the nail filer away in her long, flowing blue sleeves as a last ditch weapon. She then clapped her hands, the field disengaging quickly, giving the woman weight again. Although she didn't appear to appreciate the gesture, as she splatted down hard on the floor like a dead fish, moaning slightly.

_How.._RUDE, Issishar thought to herself. _Is this how she responds to my courtesy? _Trying not to burst into a peal of laughter, Issishar sank back into her chair, calming herself as the powerful storm of energy flowed from her, a galaxy of light swirling to engulf the woman in front of her. There was a pinprick—a _pinprick _mind you, of pressure coming from this woman. She had an X-Region, but it was one on the verge of being rendered nonexistent by her body's stubborn genetics fixing themselves of an apparent flaw in the coding. The next generation of children to be born from this woman would not possess those alleles at all for an X-Region.

This woman still gasped in sudden pain as her mind was plunged into a deep sea of superior power. Grunting under the sudden pressure, the woman rubbed her head slightly as she straightened back up.

"Hit your head?" Issishar asked sweetly, all smiles and concerned frowns, like a cheery grandma. "I am so so sorry! I never thought to warn you about the gravfield! They're so common amongst our ships after all." Which was true, and made the lie so easy Issishar almost believed it, were it not for that snicker in the back of her head. This woman was…Luli Jasmine—she plucked the name right from the woman's mouth as she began to speak it.

"I a-

-It is good to meet you, Luli Jasmine," Issishar said with a deep inclination of her head. She spread her robes wide, wishing she was wearing the royal regalia from her Martian departure, but hey, those robes were not comfortable! And she didn't want to impress this yak anymore than she did any other bovine-brained idiot. Her thoughts were actually tricky to follow, what with the X-Rounder instability and all making her goals constantly shift back and forth in a sort-of afterimage affect that made it difficult to sense her true motives. A quick, flex of her mental prowess however opened Jasmine's mind wide open.

Issishar mentally smirked as Jasmine could only kneel there, disbelieving at how things had turned out so wrong. She had a plan! And yet now here Jasmine knelt on the floor, with a slight headache, with a woman who already knew her name and seemed to feel no surprise in her appearance! And what was this _pressure_? Strangely, she also felt exposed, worse than any nakedness, as if her soul itself was laid bare before those red eyes.

"I see there is much you want to talk with me about," Issishar said, already picking through the woman's memory. "Let's cut to the chase shall we? You will serve me with all your might and with all your heart. Your soul can go wherever it wants for all I care, so long as it doesn't get in my way. If you attempt to betray me, I will know, Ms. Jasmine."

Luli Jasmine stared at Issishar in growing disbelief and bewilderment, not sure what to say to mitigate this disaster. "I am sorry, Lady Pandora, but I must confess you take my visit to be a pledge of service. My real-

-You are in no position to bargain," Issishar snapped her fingers as she raised her hand over her head. A holoscreen beside her head appeared for a moment and then disappeared. Seconds later, flashes were seen from the window, which was now shuddered. A couple minutes past, and Issishar smiled. "That was your ship being sent running. If it had a tail it would be between its legs—If it had those too. Now," Issishar pressed her hands together. "Let us not be deceitful about what we can do for each other. Instead, let us discuss what you can do for me and what I will do _to you _if you don't comply."

Issishar threw back her head and laughed openly at the sensation of pure, chilling fear rolling off Jasmine like cold ocean breakers, crashing into her in refreshing waves. She felt like a beached whale as the high tide rolled in to save her. _I've found a useful servant, I've put my unruly crew in their place, and I'm on a role with animal metaphors! What a nice day I'm having!_

* * *

**Neptune Sphere, Colony Roan-Sarapin Collective Atlantian branch Senate Chamber, the R'reezala government building**_**—**_**in session**

The deep, oceanic surface of Neptune floated beyond the bowel-shaped viewport that served as the Senate Chamber's floor, giving all within the large, oval-shaped chamber a perfect view of the majestic, awesome sight. Clouds whipped up by the strongest winds in the Solar System at near supersonic flow, dark terrifying storms moving across the surface in what might have appeared slow from so high up aboard the Atlantian home colony, a structure who's orbit followed the thin, silvery planetary ring.

Arabel Zoi sat in an observer's booth along with Sinfreid Ogal. He wanted to pay attention to the debate raging back and for the across the chamber as each of the delegates from their respective worlds floated on hovering platforms about the central speaker's podium, which was shaped like the Titan, Atlas, his muscular physique straining to hold up the semicircular booth, where the equivalent to a judge or referee stood, maintaining order and keeping the delegates aware of the various laws they were sworn to uphold. His eyes however, continued to be drawn toward the magnificent sight of the planet beneath, so different from the red, dusty surface of Mars, and so much larger, it was truly beyond words. This was the Blue Planet, not Earth. Sinfreid redirected his gaze back at the central podium toward the man standing there in flowing black robes and braided blonde hair that fell to cover his neck.

"A bureaucrat, and a Socialist," Sinfreid whispered to Arabel. "An enemy of the Progressivists and the true reason our government system is dysfunctional." His eyes pointed at the current speaker, a slim, almost girlish character with long white hair and pasty skin. "That one's almost as angelic as Satan. He is currently haranguing us about how our mission to Earth was a waste of time, and how control of the military should be redirected to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs."

"Who is that?"

"Him," Sinfreid said with a slight frown. "He's using an argument that blatantly disregards the laws prohibiting government power. Can't imagine him having an agenda, can you?"

Arabel only smiled in return.

"The people however, bask in the glow of his every word. They agree with him because he uses our hard-earned taxes for his welfare projects. If you buy people free dinners you win their devotion for life. Our economy is stunted, our military underpowered against threats like Angra Zenon and the asteroid field guardians the Old Federation threw up to keep us on this side of the belt. They want to use our dying economy as an excuse to avoid contact with the Federation and prioritize internal problems that they created!" His voice rose slightly. "It is they that now control the Collective. But we are fighting back."

"…On the topic of the proposed Jupiter invasion," a new speaker announced, his platform moving to the fore, "we cannot sustain a lasting war. The Jovans are dangerous! If they become united, we will be facing a cataclysmic disaster." Arabel frowned, he did not particularly like that lilting tone of voice the people of Neptune seemed to use, when they spoke common language. For the most part, they conveyed their arguments in the complex, musical language of theirs. He was glad they were talking in something coherent, it was most interesting. What for no other reason than to learn exactly what they planned for him.

"It cannot be helped, the wider galaxy is unstable. We should use this opportunity to gain momentum! Imagine the prosperity we could carve out." Another senator retorted.

"I would propose allying with the Vagan Empire," a rather rotund old woman said as she floated out into the center of the room, forcing the previous speaker to return to his original position. The mediator looked down from his central podium with narrowed eyes like a vulture peering from its nest. "What will happen should they conquer the Federation? Will they not branch outward eventually? And the Federation will remain idle only for so long. If the Earth Sphere regains its technological supremacy our way of life will be in jeopardy!" Her jowls shook vehemently. "Jupiter is a cesspit that needs a firm, civilized hand guiding it. Remember what the Beltrunners did to our colonies at Saturn and Uranus. I refuse to have our people threatened ceaselessly by pirate hordes! And Angra Zenon for that matter," she stabbed with a pudgy finger at Neptune, "how long will we have? Tell me?! We all _know _it's programmed to avoid stepping within a planet's boundaries, but"-she clacked loudly, shutting up the skinny delegate as he tried to interrupt-"but," she looked back and forth across the room, her finger raised, "eventually its AGE System will override its programming and prioritize destroying us for the sake of the Silver Chalice over avoiding collateral damage to the worlds. We could be facing a second Calypso Incident! Worse, we have seen many times before that the Kuiper belt bodies are not safe from its cannon."

"I object," the young man called, moving closer so that he was floating opposite the obese delegate. "You would have us militarize our nation and force members of other planets to fight for your own sake! Remember that we do not possess the proper military means to engage the Jupiter Sphere in pitched battle. Much worse, they may even unite under opposition, and then our way of life will truly end. That could spark Angra Zenon's next attack more than anything else!"

"Our technological prowess has waned to dust because of people like you milking our tax dollars for your own personal programs! Now even the Vagan possess superior technology."

"Not true," countered the young delegate, "our mastery of biogenetic engineering is beyond anything ever created! We have found the secret to expanding our lifespans well into two centuries and more!"

"Which we may not enjoy, after Angra Zenon cuts them short with one of its Death Star shots." The woman insisted. "We all agree that the wider galaxy is an ever present threat. It may take a decade, or even ten, but once another government takes hold they will start reconnecting the scattered colonies. Then what will we do, when intersystem empires start attacking our borders!"

"We do not know if that is even possible at this juncture," snapped a new speaker, although he remained at the edge of the room without moving to the center.

"This doesn't change the threat of the Jovans and Terrans. We all know that Issishar Ezelcant has reawakened! What do you say when she takes back control of Angra Zenon!?" The old woman thundered. "I'll tell you what she'll do! I remember those days, long ago! Confound you young ones can't believe her plans. She'll hunt us all down and kill every last human she finds. She's a maniac beyond your wildest nightmare. We must act now, before she recovers the controller and begins what we very narrowly avoided!"

"And what will rushing to our own destruction accomplish? We cannot compete with the Earth and Mars Spheres, much less Jupiter. Our population is too small." The young delegate insisted. "You keep insisting we engage in this war, and when we ask you what you will do to even the military odds in our favor, you babble about that EXA-DB. Opening Pandora's Box will be just as bad as letting Issishar's schemes go unchecked!"

"Of course of course," the woman replied sarcastically, "that's why we should stay here and destroy our own economy with red tape and a growing lower class. This is what I say: ally ourselves with Vagan, keep Issishar contained until we can subvert her authority, and begin exchanging resources with Mars. When we have the strength, we _invade_..Jupiter!"

The entire assembly erupted into a fracas of shouts and objections. The central podium rose into the air as Atlas raised his arms higher as if about to hurl the seat on his back. "_ORDER! WE SHALL HAVE ORDER!" _The blonde man commanded in a deep, resonating voice that somehow remained pleasantly calm, despite the volume; almost mechanical thanks to the slight echo. "Please lower your voices and wait to resume discussion." The delegates quieted down slowly, some muttering still echoed throughout the chamber, faintly coherent, although it was in a language Arabel couldn't understand. It reminded him of whispering birds. "The order is restored. The Senate may resume its apologetics."

"Thank you, Mediator," said the skinny young man. "As I was about to say, the honorable state of Pluto refuses to condone or authorize an act of war on other sovereign military bodies on the bases of Article Fifty Seven of the Rules of the Commonwealth, as the honorable Representative of Eris proposes." His platform began to circle the podium, arms spread wide imploringly, although Arabel thought he was almost predatory, like a shark circling its prey.

"Ridiculous! I am not promoting war for its own sake! But it is necessary at this point! For our own protection against forces bent on harming us," the Eris representative snarled, her old, blubbery face twisting in rage as her own platform started to move counterclockwise to intercept the circling young senator of Pluto.

"We concur with the honorable representative of Pluto," a high-pitched woman announced, small, rather ferret-like with frizzy grey and silver hair, although she could only have been in her late thirties. "The State of Quaoar seconds this objection. The Kuiper belt is large enough for us to sustain our civilization. We needs not strike Solarward, but rather outward. Instead of military buildup, I suggest we focus upon space exploratory colonies. We involve ourselves with a war that does not concern us? A war will only lead to complete economic exhaustion."

A very tall, wiry man with a glowing robotic eye and mechanical left arm almost as bone-thin as his very slender organic counterpart on the right, which was draped with a long, dark purple sleeve adorned with blue lights that glowed faintly with light. He spread his mechanical arm slowly, the black bone-like fingers splaying slowly outward to encompass the Senate, "The President of the Haumea Mining Firm opposes your notion, Senator of Quaoar. Our income relies on contracts with the Military Buildup Program. Without a stable buyer our planet will suffer an economic collapse. This will _impact_ everyone."

"You can thank the Plutonian for their dependency on government contracting," Sinfreid said. "He may be on opposing political sides as military buildup, but that doesn't mean he's beneath using it to his own handling."

The Eris representative sighed in contained rage, "This is beyond the scope of this discussion. We are on the verge of attack by a genocidal madwoman. The EXA-DB can still be found without military buildup. Until then, we should try to play it safe, and at least ally with Vagan. That should give us time to prepare for when Issishar Ezelcant is ready to make her move. Please consider this! We have a number of castaways from the old Ambat installation. Let us use them to infiltrate Terran and Martian societies. We may yet stay atop the game long enough to make permanent trade relations, which may solve Haumea's dependency on mining and industrial foundries."

"Just a moment, honorable Delegate of Eris," the young Plutonian senator said, moving on into a long, prattling counterargument.

Arabel was no longer listening, as he now understood what the Sarapin would most likely be using him for. Would he have a chance to return to Earth? If so, there was a man he very much desired to meet again. A name that burned its way passed his heart and seared his soul red with hate.

* * *

**Earth Sphere, Forge Zone**

"The enemy's attacks are growing more brutal," Flit Asuno observed coolly, swinging the Starks away from a chest cannon blast. A threesome of Gafrans rushed him, machineguns blazing, keeping him away from the Abigel in the backdrop targeting cruisers. The _Diva _moved forward to support him, launching Nova and Kannas' suits. Kannas reached Flit first, hurling a grenade, the impact forced the right Gafran aside, letting Flit fall upon the unfortunate suit and bash in its chest with the Reiber hammer. The two other Gafrans found other machines waiting for them, including Nova and her beam saber.

"The enemy's starting to get better too," Kannas complained as the black Genoace II and Starks moved closer to the _Diva _as the Abigel began to perform evasive maneuvers, its tail bazooka still aiming and firing. "The kill ratio is-

-No time!" Woolf Enneacle called over the comm., his G-Exes rushing down from above to tear at the Abigel with his beam sabers. The red machine sparked and blew apart, but Woolf was soon forced to backpedal under a withering counterattack as a team of Gafrans rushed from the mangled ruins of an _Orion _class. After driving the white machine back, the Gafrans retreated into an umbrella cloak.

The battle raged on.

* * *

Flit Asuno pulled off his helmet and sighed, floating backwards as other pilots filed out, leaving him alone in the locker room. It was beginning to look like his plan to return to Torrian wasn't possible. The war was becoming a desperate struggle now, and Prime Minister Cedrick Fondor wanted results he could use to bolster his campaign. Election season was in, and one could only wonder what the results would be after the passed events of his term in office.

"It's like Kannas said. With their technology so high, their ability to overpower us is just so overwhelming! I don't know how long our superior numbers are going to help us against that." He sighed and checked is PDA, where a picture of Emily greeted him in a blue dress. How much longer should he make her wait? He couldn't retire now, that was impossible in this situation. Humorous, it was. Now that he was tired of fighting, there was no end of it in sight. Well, maybe that was a method of pushing himself to resolve this whole war faster.

* * *

**Colony Torrian**

Emily set up as the nurse came into Norman Shatter Medical Hospital's rehabilitation wing. Her memory had been gone for almost a week before it returned in jerking, none to pleasant revelations. Her full mind had returned from the temporary amnesia, although there were still blanks regarding her journey to Mars. After thinking hard about it, she assumed that she would remember no more because she simply had nothing more to remember.

"I hope you're getting rest," the nurse said, Lilia or something, Emily hadn't been too talkative, at least not enough to ask the nurse's name or make an attempt to remember it. She decided to rectify that.

"I'm fine, Lilia?"

"Lucille," the nurse said with a silly grin, eyes rolling. "How I wish it were Lilia. Call me Lucy, I like the sound better. You have some mail _and _visitors." She smiled. "Friends from school, so they said."

"Hmm, let them in," Emily said.

"First the letter," Lucy said, handing Emily the pale, off-white envelope. "It could upset you if the news isn't good."

"I doubt anything could upset me after all I've been through," Emily said dryly, the image of the broadcast from the Forge Zone's initial battle running through her head. She had been shocked to watch the battle on the news after lung surgery, and hadn't been able to pull her eyes away from the scene of the AGE-1's head being held up dramatically. Flit had survived, she saw on camera, but it was still a shocker to see him humbled by an enemy Gundam. Her caretakers at the hospital had been watching her like a hawk ever since to make sure she didn't get too excited. Perhaps if she hadn't nearly destroyed the room in panicked fury, they would have released her by now. But why would she _not _get that angry? After all Emily had endured over the past, well, decade of her life she deserved to release a little pent-up outrage.

She took the envelope and read it, her heart leaping for an instant inside her chest when she realized it was from Flit. A love letter? Well, as close to one as Flit Asuno was ever going to write apparently. It started out sweet, telling her how much he missed her, apologizing over and over about things that weren't his fault. It had been her who decided to accompany him to Second Moon! No mention of Yurin L'Ciel, and that had Emily wondering if it had truly been her they met at the stairwell as they fled from the gafran lizards. The bulk of the letter though was one long tome only an engineer could find interest in reading. She understood what he was talking about, and found some pleasure in knowing the Gundam was keeping her beloved safe and was improving on this ability. _However. _

Emily sighed and looked out the window, toward the bright, eternal summer of Torrian. _I really shouldn't expect anything less from him. His Gundam is his priority. It's like a child. _The true damage the letter dealt was that regrettably, Flit was not going to be joining her any time soon. The war was too serious and pilots in high demand enough that he would not be discharged until the war ended, with temporary leave also essentially impossible. She didn't want to blame him, but somehow she still did, perhaps because it was his dumb idea to join the military in the first place.

"Something bothering you?" Lucy asked warily. "Don't lie to me, I'm often called psychic."

"An X-Rounder?" Emily asked with a smile.

"You know about X-Rounders?" The nurse asked with an upraised eyebrow. "Well, it's convenient isn't it?"

"You like your powers?" Emily was only half surprised. Flit never talked about his abilities and she loved them for the extra combat performance it gave him, so she didn't have to worry as much.

"Of course," Lucy said with a smile. "Helps with my job. I'm also a practicing psychiatrist." She narrowed her eyes in mock severity, "believe me, I can tell when someone is upset. You need to rest, otherwise I won't let your friends in."

"I see," Emily said. "It's fine, let them in, my..friend is safe on the frontlines—for the moment—I was just sad he isn't coming back yet. It's nice you found something useful you could use your abilities for." Her first thought was of Yurin. "I know someone who might have, enjoyed talking to you."

"Mm. I'll go fetch them. But first, this friend, is he having trouble dealing with his abilities?"

"No, never mind," Emily said after a moment. "It's too late to talk to her now."

"Really? I wouldn't say that. I'm happy to talk to anyone, it's my job."

"she is...no longer around," Emily said slowly, hoping Lucy would get the hint and go bring in whoever it was from her school that wanted to see her. Goodness she didn't like those wide eyes! It was like Lucy was peering at a specimen under a microscope.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said, moving back toward the door. "You two can come in now," she said, before stepping out to let the others inside.

"Emily Amonde! It _is _you!" A girl said, coming over to stand by the bed, a nervous smile on her face. The boy hung back slightly, although he smiled too.

"Mikki and Eric?" Emily asked, they looked slightly older, but then a whole year had passed.

"She doesn't remember us!" Mikki wailed dramatically, putting a hand to her head.

"Come on, it's been, what? A year? I bet we look different." Eric put in, although after sweeping his gaze across Emily's face, he frowned. "Not like you, Emily. You're the same as when I last saw you."

"I'm glad you guys came," Emily said with a smile as she warmed up to her old classmates again. But how it had been so long! The absence brought her mind back to Kannas Westmorland and his brief affections. But she dismissed him as a memory. Both he and Flit were off fighting, while she sat here, unable to reach either. For all she knew he was dead. It saddened her, she wanted to say thank you again for all the company he provided on the voyage.

"Earth to Emily," Mikki said.

"Oh, sorry," she replied, jerking. "I was lost in thought."

"So?" Eric said leadingly, waiting for her to speak.

"'So', what?" Emily asked, confused. She looked back and forth, "You both look like you're expecting something."

"Expecting!? More like dying to know!" Eric blurted. From the corner of her eye, Emily noticed Lucy peaking into the room, brow furrowed at the rather loud disturbance. "You're still the talk of the school, even if the rest of us have graduated already! You disappeared without a trace the day of the fire! There was murder, Emily! Don Boyage was shot in the back of the neck, and everywhere else! The house was covered in blood—what wasn't burned to the ground—a whole museum of artwork was lost! Untold colonies' worth of stuff!"

"It was on the news for like, until the battle the other week with the Vagan Princess!" Mikki interjected excitedly, not noticing Emily's blanch at the mention of that poignant, close to heart memory.

"And the bodies! People were _blown__up_, all over the place! In the alleys, in the house, even in a secret garden passageway, where two guys were lying gunned to bits! It was _gruesome! _And you vanished totally in all of it! We were afraid the blackspace gang that did it—abducted you. We were sure you were never coming back!"

"Only to learn not long ago that you were admitted here, after being injured in battle! At Mars Emily! Mars!"

"Go on, tell us before those guys from FIB get here and swear you to government secrecy," Eric said, using the "official" but seldom used acronym for the Federation Investigation Bureau, or FIB, the irony of which was not lost on anybody, considering its purpose was exposing the truth.

"Well, there isn't much to remember," Emily said, and honestly. "I was not lucid through most of it, because of the wounds. It hurt to hear, or use my eyes, so they were shut most of the time. And what I do remember doesn't always make sense." _And what does isn't very pleasant._

"Oh come on Emily! It must have been amazing to be in enemy territory, another world! What was it like? You have to remember something." Eric leaned forward eagerly.

"No, I _am _serious, I _did _hit my head a lot," Emily retorted. "Right when we infiltrated the moon colony, Flit and me got knocked when the gafran pounced on us."

"A Gafran _pounced _on you?" Mikki and Eric asked at the same time, their lost faces obviously trying to mask their disbelief and growing worry that she may still be temporarily insane.

"Not a full sized one," Emily replied, "just one of the smaller ones."

"They have small Gafrans?"

"Yes, they're like robot soldiers, only about as big as a donkey or cow."

"I think I remember hearing about those out at the Forge," Eric said, rubbing his chin. "That must have been terrifying in the extreme."

"They weren't as scary as the real ones though," Emily couldn't resist a shudder.

"Tell us what happened!" Eric demanded, somewhat more forcefully than he meant it, given his excitement.

"You've obviously not been in real combat before," Emily muttered. "Well, I don't know if I should. The gafrans attacked us as we entered the upper levels, and then I don't recall too much coherently about the underlevels. It was so dark, and the cannibal orphans left me so sick I didn't pay attention much to how we were going to reach the moon's core. Then the next thing I know Flit was talking about genocide and then the _next _thing I knew the live gafran lizards were dropping from the ceiling."

"Wait—'live gafrans?"

"Don't ask, that was a very gory part and I got a bit berserk near the end," Emily replied, ignoring their skeptical looks. She may not have looked scary now, but if they had seen what she did to her room after the operation… "Not funny, and seeing entrails falling around you from living things screaming as they die is anything but exciting, Eric."

"Sorry."

"I'm confused, cannibals?"

"They were all starving because of the terraformer. And then I was knocked unconscious when we tried to escape, and everything was a blur, at least until Flit held me in the elevator shaft while Yark Dole held us hostage. After that the last thing I recall was a lot of frantic shouting. I think that's when we started for Earth, but I still don't recall how it is we made back so fast. Kannas and Nova kept me on too many sedatives I think. I woke up after we reached the Forge Zone."

"Yeah I already watched the footage," Eric said dismissively. "But all this sounds so cool!"

"Ahem," a voiced coughed behind them. The nurse frowned at the two teenagers dubiously. "I think Emily is getting tired," she said. "Visiting time is up, too. One does not recover from damage to the sternum and ribcage, not to mentioned bruised lungs, without proper rest."

"Oh come on," Eric whined, before Mikki grabbed him by the ear and started dragging him back. "Awh, let go!"

"We're glad you're safe Emily," Mikki said with a sincere smile.

"I'll be seeing you around," Emily said as best as she could. After another wave from Lucy the pair finally exited the room.

Emily lay her head back and idly scratched at a rather itchy region just above her shoulder, at the base of the neck. "Honestly, I think the only reason they came was to interrogate me."

"That's youth for you. And they do care, their enthusiasm got in the way is all. This is an extraordinary situation Emily."

Emily laughed bitterly. "Is it? This is everyday stuff to me by now! I'm not sure I can accurately judge 'normal" anymore, not at all." Emily cringed and clawed at her skin, pulling the hem of her patient's gown down to expose her neck and shoulder. Her eye barely caught a glimpse of red. "What is this?"

"Another reason why I sent your well meaning friends away. It's time for me to tend to that infection."

"What kind of infection causes this rash," Emily asked, her hands pausing over the burning, itching mass of red skin. "There's bumps like zits."

"That's where the bacteria are being isolated by the immune system, please try not to scratch. We don't know quite what kind of infection this is. It is a highly aggressive bacteria that seems to cause an allergic reaction to the skin, simulating urticaria that is causing the irritation. We have used standard treatments and taken samples. For reasons we do not understand, this bacteria is unheard of and is resisting said treatments. We are currently trying some of our more potent probiotic immune defense supplementary shots, as the standard probiotic injections are not working. Do you understand?"

"Not really." Emily said, growing slightly worried. "I thought those probiotic things were supposed to help stop infections like this before they start."

"They are," Lucy said with a sigh. "The human body uses resident benevolent bacteria to help fight infections from the parasitic varieties. Torrian is known for its symbiot research and programs for creating probiotics that can act as temporary or even permanent additions to the body's defensive system. It has worked wonders but is difficult, as each specimen must be tailored to the average person's immune cells, which sometimes identify them as malignant hosts. The standard procedures are not working, so we have moved on to these advanced forms. None are deadly, mind you."

"That sounds expensive," Emily said suddenly, wondering how she was going to pay for this. She wasn't exactly overflowing cash at the moment. Or _any _at all!

"Calm down," Lucy said with a smile. "The staff here have decided to do this free of charge, seeing as this infection is very new to us. You could be saving people a lot of money and trouble by helping now. Not to say you're a guinea pig, we are simply trying to heal you first."

"And you said that nothing is working?" Emily asked, noticing a look in Lucy's eyes she didn't like.

"Well," the nurse frowned and closed her eyes for a moment. "Please don't get upset, it isn't as bad as it sounds. However I was given permission to tell you after the rash appeared yesterday, as you deserve to know."

"That's right, I only noticed it today, but you seem to have been treating the infection already."

"It is in your bloodstream and we noticed it when we took procedural blood work. After our initial treatments, the infection _was _forced to that area right on your neck, where it has concentrated and set in. That was just after surgery. It has since then started feeding on the probiotics and countered your immune system blow for blow. We don't usually have a need to use antibiotics now, but did two days ago to what we thought was success."

"But the rash is back, and it itches! Why?"

"It is very aggressive, trying to eat at your skin cells and even muscle tissue underneath. The antibiotics are now useless so we are saving a full purge of your system _just in case _you have something else we haven't detected yet. The good bacteria in your system are almost as important as your full immune system and we don't know yet for sure if they aren't holding something else hostile in check. Destroy those along with the bad bacteria and we may have another kind of infection ready to spring somewhere else. You were in a dangerous environment, so we must be this cautious. Now the doctors want to try some fungal antidotes, which are very powerful but until now thought to be unnecessary."

"Mushrooms?"

"Yes, certain varieties of mushrooms have the greatest immune response of many organisms, and share many similar characteristics with our own immune function. Honestly, we were wanting to ask your permission to use an experimental fungi that a private lab has been researching. It is quite potent, but since it is still in the testing phase, we wanted your permission first."

"I approve of anything that stops this itching," Emily said quickly. "Medicine was never my forte, so spare the details and get it in me so this stuff can be gone," she finally gave in and continued scratching, although this time with a piece of tissue paper.

"I'll do that right away. Here's something for the itching," Lucy took the shot and injected something faintly blue into the red skin, the painful prick one of the most wonderful things Emily had ever felt right then, anything was better than that horrid burning itch!

"Should I be worried about any other infections, really?" Emily asked, remembering that Second Moon had indeed not been a very hospitable place, putting it mildly as possible.

"No, I wouldn't let that bother you. Whatever appears, know well that we can handle it," Lucy said. "Here, let me take that tissue," she took the proffered tissue just as Emily sneezed.

"Sorry," Emily laughed.

"Probably brought on by all this gloomy talk about infections," Lucy joked. "And I am so glad it got on the tissue and not me. That would have been unpleasant," she walked over to a quarantine box designated for used needles and placed the syringe inside, then headed off to take the tissue back to the labs for studying. After all, no sense allowing this new bacteria a chance to breed in the waste basket or sewage systems.

* * *

As Lucy left, a brief flash of orange clouded her vision. She had a cold sweat for some reason. She blinked. The last time she felt this was on that day the moon erupted. She remembered it distinctly because she had been on her way to catch the news during her afternoon break, and had felt a pulse of orange that shocked her hard enough to drop that precious cup of coffee all down her clothes. Talk about embarrassing! Thank God everyone was staring at the live coverage of lava flowing across the Moon.

She had researched enough of her X-region to know this was a phenomenon related to the instinctual forecasting of disaster, like animals sensing an approaching storm front. But what could have caused this one? Dismissing it as an oddity of her body's unique and mentally debilitating mutation, Lucy hurried on. The FIB had asked her to supervise the recovering of Emily because as a practicing psychiatrist, she could help Emily with any trauma that might come from such an ordeal, and perhaps pick up a few bits of information along the way, which would allow the FIB to forgo the discourtesy of debriefing Emily, hopefully. The girl had security clearance, so at the moment she was not to be treated as a civilian who needed to be watched. It was a wonder, as Emily Amonde had Level 5 clearance, which meant that young woman must be privy to the greatest secrets the government had to offer! She certainly must have powerful friends somewhere to be in that deep.

Consumed with thoughts about her less than fortunate patients in the mental ward, Dr. Lucille continued down the hall, unaware she had been the sole witness to a silent event that would change the world for decades to come.

* * *

**Sargo Zone**

In the distance, it saw the black warship burst with flame as one of those cloak-capable vessels struck at it while the black vessel tried to skulk behind shifting debris, much as SID was doing now from a distance. However this now damaged black stealth vessel was not SID, did not possess his—its cunning. Even the slightly more impressive ship with an umbrella cloak failed to compare to his—its, _its _brilliance. Strange, this always happened to its internal processes while idling in wait. And especially here, in the Sargo Zone. SID did not understand. SID looked around at the floating mass of wreckage, unable to comprehend the strange tableau of signals and commands running through its processor, and finally decided to halt the thread of commands before they caused any more flukes in its otherwise satisfactory performance. Administrator would fix any errors or possible hack attempts when she arrived shortly.

SID floated motionless, a threatening visage of evil with its multiple claws amidst the ghastly ruins of the Sargo, red eye shining like a demonic pulsar in a green nebula of its star's remains.

Slowly an asteroid spun from the wreckage, small enough to be relatively inconspicuous. There were several other decoy asteroids moving about as well under the Administrator's authority, with SID's entire compliment of minion armors going to and from the asteroids to show more activity around them, rather than this inconspicuous, irrelevant piece of debris as it lumbered passed the robotic menace, which shimmered out of existence as its umbrella cloak activated.

The ticking sound started that signaled the opening transmission, _rtrtrtrrtrtrtrtrtrr. _SID immediately dove into the opening in the asteroid, landing into a construction hanger designed specifically for SID, which arms hanging from the ceiling and a berth for the mobile armor to rest in during idle periods.

An uplink was established, allowing SID to connect directly to the EXA-DB mainframe. A vision appeared, a young woman, her naked body pale milky white behind a blue life-support tank, in the midst of a deep, physical cold sleep, a pair of glittering frozen rivers of ice trialing down from her eyes like roads of diamond, the tears she never had a chance to wipe away before the world turned lonely and cold and black.

Her mind however, was far from inactive. SID disregarded the physical image of Administrator as usual, it meant nothing. It sent a report as a form of greeting. It had been a full 26,298 hours of activity since last physical report. SID could not feel fear of course, after all, it was merely doing its duty. However Administrator always expressed displeasure when it did not return to the station.

_I'm so glad you're safe, Sid_, the voice of the Administrator said, warm, with a feminine voice neither too high in note nor too deep. SID of course did not know whether or not that was Administrator's true voice, as the computerized version was only an electronic equivalent from Administrator's memories of her own vocals. _You fought a lot, but didn't get a single scratch! You're so strong like that_.

_I have done as is required of me. I exist to serve the EXA-DB and its Administrator. Query: Is this to mean I function to meet your specifications?_

_Mmhmm, but you don't have to act like a robot all the time. I'm so happy to see you! I was so lonely, and I start to forget things when I'm all alone. Sometimes I think I can feel my body cold, but can't warm it! I want to scream, but without you to talk to there is no way to initiate a conversation and therefore no way to even hear my own shout! Or even know I'm shouting!_

_Expression of doubt: you are placed within a cryogenic state, it is impossible for your nerve endings to experience discomfort. I am here now._

_Thanks, I knew you'd come through, Sid, even if you have more trouble with your programming than me. But really, it's just like that one time a few years ago. I'm telling you sometimes I think I'm going to go mad, but the computer prevents me from it! That's the worst form of torture; it's like an eldritch nightmare, Sid! _She felt herself wanting to perform the same bodily movement as struggle, but struggle was impossible as a computer control hub, as she was merely process. _I can sometimes feel my body trying to squirm, and get this intense sensation like I'm afraid, or claustrophobic, but can't do anything or budge a muscle! And then there are days I want to breathe and can't. I'm glad those Nanos-zsells don't make you tied to a physical body. Imagine holding your breath under water for a long time, and not being able to breathe. That feeling is horrible! Yesterday I was hungry, but knew I could not eat, and today I want a bath and feel dirty, but cannot clean._

_Constructive reminder: you are the Administrative consciousness of the EXA-DB. You do not require periods of conscious mental inactivity, respiratory function or lack of function, or physical space between you and non-hazardous objects. Muscle movement is also unnecessary as your body is in a cryogenic state. You are experiencing a system error brought on by improper communion with the control hub. Proposal: please run a diagnostics check to locate errors. _

_You're not listening Sid, _Administrator whined. _Remember the old days, when we used to go swimming together when you had a body. Remember how you got tangled by a fishing net and almost drowned? That's the feeling I am experiencing now! I'm drowning in a cold control system, a soul stripped of its body!_

_Observation: your system is currently experiencing an error common to many Windows systems. Proposal: please purge your current system and upload recovery data. I will assist you. I remember you saved me. I am incapable of drowning as I possess watertight Gundarium armor and submersible engines for aquatic operations. Query: shall we begin the system restore?_

_Focus Sid, it's me, Reuna Inaju. You remember every time I say my name, right? Like always._

_Conformation: you are indeed Reuna Inaju, Administrator tasked with th-_

_-NO. _The command this time was enough to force SID into silence. _I'm sorry, Sid. I'm so sorry. Arrgh, it's so FRUSTRATING! I want to cry but can't even tell I have eyes!_

_Observation: your physical body appears to have moister frozen on its face. This would be in line with your use of the term "cry"._

_You mean I'm actually crying? Well, that makes me feel better, a little I guess. What I want though is to help you snap out of that programming. Three years made me forget how frustrating it can be._

_Query: I do not comprehend how frozen moister on your cheeks causes emotional gratification, or how my absence can cause lack of memory. My purpose remains unchanged._

_You would understand if you had a body again, Sid. It's terrible, just terrible. I want my voice to choke, but it's steady as ever. They robbed me of my body, but they took everything from you, and all because I loved you. Father, if I had a chance to destroy this place, I would._

_Query: I fail to see how your sexual or emotional instinct relates to my service as guardian of the EXA-DB. Also, your desire to self-destruct is of dire concern._

_I'm not going to, Sid, I can't even if I wanted to. And it wouldn't help free you. Don't you remember, when they took your real body for experiments? You went wild after they put you inside that mechanical body. You tried to kill your own family. Don't you remember?_

_Confirmation of query: I recall attempting to exterminate the Asuno clan after perceiving them as a legitimate threat. Your biological sire attempted to conspire with them in order to copy this illegal data. I was merely assisting in their extermination._

_I give up, you're never going to remember. That is a blessing for you, no matter how much I selfishly want to have another person to talk to. It would hurt too much in your position. Good grief, I want to look away from you but I can't! All the camera views are permanently switched on. _

_I am incapable of feeling pain. I am merely a machine with limited AI capabilities for the use of interacting with you, the Administrator of the EXA-DB. I will serve you faithfully until my termination or deactivation. _

Reuna was silent for a moment, pondering what to say next. She finally pushed her feelings behind and gazed at the unblinking, loveless mooneye of the mobile armor. They had even turned his real name into an acronym, so even that last link to his humanity was severed. At least, she reasoned, Sid would be happy to know he was given the task of protecting her, and given a body to do it forever. She said the only thing she could, the only thing he would still understand as a compliment. _Thank you, Sid. You've done such a wonderful job, no one could be more efficient. _

_Gratification: I am pleased to serve. This is the bases of my programming. _

Reuna and Sid bided their time here, like that, talking back and forth in an endless, meaningless chatter. Reuna had little to talk about and most of it SID did not comprehend. Still, there was nothing else to do, and no one else to keep her company. If she was going to always be cold and dark she refused to be lonely too.

* * *

**Forge Zone outskirts, Fortress Adamantine**

"What you suggest Lady Eve is beyond any coherent strategy I can think of," An Grams said, totally horrified of what he had just been basically ordered to do. Still, he was the supreme commander of Vagan's forces under _Ezelcant's _direct authority and his daughter was not going to subvert it just because of her blood and charisma. "There is no reason for this."

Issishar Ezelcant stood in front of him, her royal white and orange robes highlighting her cerulean hair and silver diadem, its smooth, glowing arms wrapping around her jowls to her chin, the three spikes half lost in the tossing curls of her hair like rocks poking up from that an ocean down below on that blue world they were trying to conquer. Conquer, not destroy, which was what Issishar seemed eager to do.

"I do not believe I made myself clear, Commander Grams," Issishar replied coolly. "We are in a dangerous position here, don't forget. If the enemy loses its chain of command we will be able to press forward with our plans for the Forge Zone more easily. At the least we can collect the wreckage afterward and recycle. The enemy bases most of their production here so even if they stop us from doing even that much it will cost them. But we need a distraction-

-that won't by chance harm the environment and raise the playing field for how far we are willing to go in order to achieve victory!" An Grams spluttered. "I won't hear of it."

Issishar's crimson eyes flashed imperiously, and he found himself staring into Fezarl Ezelcant's face in a rage, only that man somehow managed to appear more human, more righteous, even with his sharp, honestly ugly nose and aging features. Issishar in her anger, for all her stunning beauty, was like an angelic demon, especially those red eyes! She didn't budge a voluntary muscle, yet he found his face stinging with a slap from a hand that did not strike him. A red fire danced in her eyes for a single moment, but that was all the movement he saw in her.

"I was not asking your opinion, I was giving an order!" Issishar said, her voice loud and clear, addressing _everyone _within range of her voice, not just An Grams. "Technicians, ready Adamantine's shield generators to fire."

"Counterman that order," An Grams declared, doing his best to not flinch under the second invisible slap, only this one felt like her fingernails passed through his skin and scratched his brain, causing a series of horrible facial twitches as muscles spasmed.

"Anyone who disobeys my order dies," Issishar said, looking around the room. "Choose carefully whom you will obey." She turned her baleful gaze back upon An Grams. "Well?" She asked low and almost a whisper. "Tell me what _you _will do to the people who disobey _your _order?"

_Damn her, she's turned my own humanity against me! I can't kill the men who disobey me, not when their own lives are threatened. Curse you! _"Remember this Issishar Ezelcant," An Grams said through gritted teeth, "that it is on your head that you do this. Should anything bad come of it, you are the one responsible."

Issishar shook her head sadly. "It is as I feared," Issishar sighed. "You are a hopeless romantic. You care too much about human life to be a field commander—or a military officer of any sort. I'm not even asking you to do anything worse than what has already been done!"

"Civilians are in the way! If we do this, then we will undo any small chance of gaining Earthling supporters for our war—with one fell blow!"

"Be thankful I'm ordering _all _Earthlings removed," Issishar said, sounding most tempted. "All we need do is sweep Kratos along the colony clusters over and over again. Simple. Then we descend into the atmosphere and perform some strategic bombings and cannon strikes until the populace submits to being quietly disposed of." She started walking for the door.

"I will turn my own guns on this place and blow us away with you before I allow such an action!" An Grams told her sternly, prepared to have his brain ripped out or neck snapped somehow by her unexplainable powers.

Issishar seemed to consider this, and then smiled. "I understand, I apologize, Supreme Commander," she bowed, hands clasped behind her bag sagely, curls bouncing down toward the floor before a toss of her head sent the hair flying back into place expertly as she rose. "You are indeed sovereign commander of Adamantine. However, because of my status as Princess, I must insist upon taking independent action. Therefore, I hereby nominate myself Warlord over all territories of Vagan. As such I will hold total control over all Vagan forces currently not being directly commanded by you. I take Zul Dahala as my own, and the forces stationed there. You may continue to operate with the rest of the fleet as you see fit, although please inform me of any battle plans you may have, it would not do to have us stumble over each other."

"You cannot do this! Splitting our forces is only going to make coordinating this war harder!"

"I cannot see any other way of preserving our mutual autonomy. Good day, Supreme Commander." Issishar strode out of the room, robes rippling in some mystic breeze. The officers just stared at her, in wonder and fear. They were awestruck, literally, and there was not a thing he could do about it but watch her go. Then again, he realized, there was a nasty surprise in store for her in the near future!

* * *

**Earth Pacific Ocean, New Mazatlan Isle, Brucia**

It was a peaceful day in Brucia City, with people bustling about work or leisure. The buildings were restored after the disaster from three years ago during Skyfall, as the residents dubbed the terrible day of the Vagan's proclamation of war. People still looked up at the sky, only out of reflex and wondering when this war would end. Unlike the rest of the world, the residents here actually understood the gravity of the situation, having experienced the worst of the war, while everyone else watched from the comfortable side of the television screen.

So it was that many people _were _looking up that fateful day, that a red star appeared in the bright blue Pacific sky.

Cedrick Fondor was out on a pleasure cruise, having a vast fondness for his ocean. The clear blue water stirred something in his soul like nothing else could. He used this time to get away in order to plot. He could think freely without fear of Luli Jasmine, or shifty characters like Grodek Ainoa and Ract Elfamel. Let them be for now, because he had far more important things to worry about. He looked up at the Moon, still apocalyptic in its coloration, a rather nasty darker shade of grey, with traces of orange lava where recent eruptions had spewed molten rock up from the surface. The terraformer had changed its geological makeup for good, and it was and would now forever be for all intents and purposes, a volcanic moon.

He frowned as his gaze swept over the full vista of the sky as a new light appeared in the heavens, a red star. For a moment he stared at the two, the moon and its fiery form, and the bloodred star appearing like a new sun. There was a rumble, and then that star grew bigger and bigger until it descended in the form of a crimson pillar of blazing light and crackling red lightning. He leapt back, almost falling over the side in his shock. The light seared his eyes, even though he squeezed them shut and flung his arms up to protect himself from the murderous coruscation. The pillar bore into the island, right down to the bedrock. A flash of thunder stole his hearing like a thief snatching a wallet, rushing on further out to see, a ripple in the water following close behind. The ripple heralded a shockwave that sent a blast of air into the little yacht. Cedrick screamed, feeling as if he were trapped in a blazing furnace. Then the wall of water struck and carried him away, showering his burning skin with foam and stinging spray.

Somehow, he managed to grasp the railing and look back in the direction of New Mazatlan just as his boat crested the mighty wave against all the odds. A million shimmering crystals floated down from above, like a rain of glass showering the blank space where there had once been an island. Then his boat descended into the valley as the second wave crested over head and blotted out the sky. He carried that last vision of Brucia's remains with him to the bottom of the sea.

* * *

**Forge Zone, Zul Dahala**

Issishar Ezelcant sighed with contentment as she sat in the commander's chair specially installed for her personal use. No self-respecting princess would _stand! _That was for her subordinates, like this pink haired boy, Medel Zant Gramis, who stood nearby, hands clasped behind his back neutrally, although he seemed to have some misgivings about using Kratos as a weapon, he was hiding it well from her. As well as a non-psychic could against an Extrasensor.

But oh how it did feel good to be rid of Brucia. With her palace long since demolished the poor island no longer had any use for her. And she had only ruled there for a very, very short length of time anyway. The Twin Pillar Federation, on the other hand, had just lost its heart!

"Lady Eve," a technician called, "The generators are experiencing overload!"

"We have lost control over all wall integrity, it's going to begin spreading!"

"Detach the generators and move us backward," Zant ordered coolly. "Prepare the auxiliary generators to come on-line. Quickly! You don't want to be scraping hyperdiamond off the side of this station."

"By your Command!"

Issishar chewed on her lip. So firing the cannon caused the shields to lose their stability? _No wonder An Grams hadn't wanted to do it. But then why didn't he tell me, I wonder? _Then again, the evidence was right there, on that bejeweled Tycho Crater, which she had seen earlier. So perhaps he expected Issishar to connect the dots. He may even be looking down on her right now. She thought of checking, but decided against it. Her powers weren't quite up to par yet, no use overdoing things.

It was times like these she missed her father's peers. They had been such good playmates, until she inevitably had to break them when they got in her way. Particularly Alpha, she had always liked him, even if the man had ultimately disagreed with her unique outlook on the world. Her ultimate relationship with him had ended up much like with Romy or her father. She may have enjoyed their company, but when they got in the way, they had to go.

Issishar decided to concentrate on other things, Brucia was gone now, as well as a good portion of the island. She should savor her victories, and wait for the Federation to either crumble, or draw itself tighter for a long war. It would not be forever, even if it took years, she would ensure her plans reached fruition. All depended on it.

* * *

**Colony Torrian**

Emily groaned awake from sleep, looking up to find the television screen above her flashing the news channel's logo. The brunette news anchor appeared, her face excited. Well, who knew? Perhaps something good had happened while she was asleep.

"We just received a report from an anonymous source who illegibly reported speaking to a soldier part of the rumored expeditionary force to Mars. Reports indicate the Vagan home colony is filled with vicious cannibalizing gafran mechanoids, that patrol the halls searching for orphans abandoned by the insidious government. There is conjecture the mission to this dark place is where Prime Minister Cedrick Fondor's personal aide, Amadis Largo, was lost in the line of duty. The Investigation Bureau refuses to make comment, but has as yet not denied or confirmed these reports. This is the first series of clues we have to…

Emily stopped listening as a group of men entered, all wearing dull blue uniforms of FIB. She groaned.

"Emily Amonde, temporary mechanic aboard the classified _Phalanx _class vessel, _Silhouette, _you have some explaining to do!"

Emily turned and scowled back up at the TV. "Eric and Mikki are going to catch my wrath," she breathed, hand idly scratching that place on her neck.

"Oh you're in trouble young lady, deep trouble," the man said, his weasel-like mustache and beady eyes peering at her as he leaned over to block the screen. "We'll teach you to tell fibs to the news media!"

Emily scowled harder. "If Grodek were here I bet he'd be able to pin you for taking bribes or something."

"G-g-g-Grodek?" The weasel man dashed back, face going pale. "On second thought, you're clear!"

"But Sir, weren't we supposed to-

-Enough! Don't mention his name to me ever again! Or this whole conversation! That goes for you too, young lady!"

With that the man stomped out of the room, fists clinched.

* * *

**Pacific Ocean, vicinity of New Mazatlan **

During the attack of the Vagan forces during the operation of Blue Fall, when Gafrans descended from the sky to strike the city directly, one Gafran was damaged before entry, and the duress of an orbital drop proved too much for its armor. The machine's flight systems failed and it thus fell into the ocean, down, down, down. The pilot jettisoned, and later went on to fight another day. Damaged internally, the Gafran did not detonate, nor did it parish in a deep, impossibly unreachable abyss. It struck the bottom of the sea no more than thirty meters down.

The pilot got away, but that did not mean the suit was still alone. No, one more passenger, a stowaway, survived the battles in space within the interior of the machine's parts, where a clumsy mechanic scraped his arm on a piece of sharp internal structure and forgot to clean up the blood. It first fed on the bloodcells, until it finally gave up and began searching elsewhere. Hungry, always hungry, and it would not stop until it could reproduce and spread its kind to eat those other lives in could sense not far away. And it did. When that food supply finally left, it moved onward, and outward into the wider world.

Its kind was legion, growing in this prey-filled world, where living things flourished. Nothing stood in their way, for there were more now, many, many, many more. And more after that, each and every passing second.

No one noticed this army's presence, or bothered to wonder why the majority of sealife in that region died out in a matter of two years. Later it was blamed on an orbital strike from the enemy's space fortress that claimed the city of Brucia and all its inhabitants. Its numbers grew, and it moved onward steadily against every foe it encountered without a glance back. The army lived to feed and grow, and it would continue, invisible, invincible. By the time it reached the outskirts of a small, South American village in the mountains of the Chile region, it was all far, far too late.

* * *

**Neptune Sphere-Colony Roan**

It started so innocently. How he had come across this revelation felt like destiny, a terrible truth that stole his breath away. It should have been obvious from the start, yet as is so often true, the greatest secrets often stand sit in open view.

Arabel sat inside his small room, darkened save for the glow of the computer as he worked. He dozed off and on constantly, an after-effect of the lifespan treatments as the new cells slowly replace the old in his brain. The process was a miracle, the final, finished product of the experiments being conducted shortly before the beginning of the Advanced Generation calendar. The treatments granted patients an extended lifespan of up to three hundred years, an off-shoot apparently of the Extrasensor program, which sought to create a superior human being capable of surviving in harsh environments. The colonization of the greater galaxy had apparently gone wrong and ended in a chaotic war, and thus steps had been taken adapt people to these harsh conditions, in order to avoid resource disputes.

The treatments were not perfect, Arabel had been warned. If the process happened to fast his body would begin reversing in age, which would kill him quickly or permanently stifle his growth. More to his concern, if the brain cells were revitalized too fast, he would lose his memory or even worse, have his personality erased, which would require him to essentially start life over again, and even then he would suffer from mental disease that might not be curable. Even later in life he would eventually succumb to other none to pleasant adverse effects, but those were literally too far down the road for his concern. He didn't like the idea of his brain being ruined, so he kept his mind busy so as not to mull over it. His father had always said that pointless anxiety never solved anything.

So Arabel was being productive by first exploring the history behind the genetic procedure that was granting him an extended lifespan. It surprised him how immensely entwined with the major events of history this medical wonder was, although in hindsight he understood why. The ability to potentially live for several centuries was indeed life-changing news for humanity, literally. And at this point, the oldest recipients of the procedure were still alive, and could very well continue to live for centuries to come, possibly into the next millennium. How healthy they would be remained a very, very big question, one that Arabel refused to think about until at least the next hundred years or so.

The history he uncovered quickly moved away from the actual experimentations, as the historical text was a bit disorganized and filled with blanks. The method for creating Extrasensors appeared to be a closely guarded secret even now, despite the fact that Arabel was becoming an X-Rounder thanks to the treatments—although he had been told he possessed a degenerate X-region already. He did not understand because of the lack of evidence, but it appeared there were fundamental differences in what an Extrasensor and X-Rounder were capable of doing with their powers. He moved on from those experimentations then, focusing on the actual life extension experiments, which took place in a research hub, the Surgical And Robotics Genetic Observatory. S.A.R.G.O originally started out as a group of scientists working for a private research conglomerate of the same name, but because of the funding it received the research labs became too vast for the group's needs. Instead of downsizing, S.A.R.G.O allowed other researchers to use their facilities, and thus the entire hub began to grow by leaps and bounds.

At its zenith, the area had expanded from a single colony into a vast network of stations and biospheres, with military and domestic research and development taking place all at once. The compilation of so much knowledge in one place gave way to the moniker, Millennium District, although the name was never official. Such things as mental transfer to machines for military use via Nanos-zsells, something that took Arabel mildly by surprise, creating metallic cells that could feasibly regenerate and thus give machines like mobile suits the potential ability to self-repair and evolve slowly. Arable raised an eyebrow at the mention of something called the AGE System, an offshoot of this research. But there was so much data he lost track of that program rather quickly. The Extrasensor program started and ended in Millennium as well, in a private military installation, part of that project to adapt humans to other planets without having to perform dangerous terraforming.

It surprised Arabel at this point to learn that the terraforming projects were performed in Millennium District, using the biospheres as testing grounds. His idle curiosity and interest in animal life enticed him to look deeper. The pieces started falling into place in his head the moment he reached the end of the terraforming documents. He started researching vegetables, then animals, wanting to know where the Mars terraformer went so wrong. He had always rather loved animal life, despite his father's desire for him to bend his mind on more important things. Most animals in Vagan suffered from numerous diseases specially targeting them, and most of the plantlife of Vagan was either poisonous or affected similarly. Even people faced plenty of bacterial or viral threats to survival. How did Earth flourish with all these hazards?

It didn't.

There were always two theories as to why Mars suffered as it did. The first, taught as the official truth, was that the terraformer was malfunctioned and Ezelcant, unaware of this fact went ahead with the process and ultimately caused the disaster. The Federation took advantage of this and blockaded the planet for as long as they could—the radiation storms finally forced their crews back—until the government was very sure the populace was dead or hopelessly doomed. Brief reconnaissance proved most of the colony inhabitants were wiped out, leaving the Federation to happily believe Mars was a dead world. They didn't colonize again because they feared the effects of the terraformer.

The other was a bit farfetched and revolved around Angra Zenon being used to manipulate the terraformer. This theory had to basis in fact, but Arabel well understood and sympathized with the general paranoia and outright loathing people associated with the Superweapon. Living under its baleful, invisible eye was just too much for some people to handle, and it was only a matter of time before they began blaming it for their problems, if for no other reason than to vent hatred for the abominable thing.

The first however, had never openly admitted the truth everyone knew: the terraformer was created to crush and destroy, to wipe out the people of Mars from the beginning. It had always been the Federation plan. Arabel now at last had proof of this, but also a more horrid revelation.

The animals, the plants, the mutations…the terraformer's creations and very actions bespoke intelligent malice. The disease the bovines suffered was not a fluke of accident. The vegetables and fruits likewise suffered under disease that damaged only that which was strictly the most healthy, the most essential. The viruses, the disease, it had all been carefully planned—no—_choreographed! _It was a scheme! A cruel agenda intended to slowly kill without mercy but with great pain and suffering. Arabel's mind burst with memories of all his own sufferings, with children forced to cannibalism by the ravages of hunger, the constant storms that threatened the colonies, the disease, the pestilence, all of it made to induce as much human misery as possible! Why? Why not make it quick!? It was the most abominable horror Arabel had ever heard. Not the dictators of the past, not Zenon, from which the Federation named their most deadly of weapons; no one he could remember had such a sick, evil plan, and for apparently reason behind it other than they had the power to do it!

No one, but that person, who relished the agony of others. It wasn't enough to make humanity vanish, this evil wanted people to _SUFFER first! "And _to this evil's very own followers! Their trust was betrayed!" Their possible loyalty even in the face of adversity was discarded and trampled upon in ways Arabel's angelic mind by comparison simply could not understand or fathom. Such a sick disregard—no—pleasure in other people's suffering had never entered his mind! At least if he ever thought of doing such things to the people of Earth, they were the enemy! Never to his own people!

He stared at the screen, terrified, as even now the Eris senator's haunting warnings echoed in his mind. The situation at Earth had to be more than monitored, it had to be stopped at all cost, before the worst happened….He calmed himself, and began to search again, this time for information about the EXA-DB. He was being given a chance to return to Earth, as a spy, an observer. Well, he would not waste this chance, he would make his mark on history and stop this before it went totally out of control. He would stop her, no matter what, and tell the people of Vagan the truth about the eldritch monster leading the charge to reclaim their homeworld.

They thought she was leading them to Eden, when in reality it was to the depths of hell.

* * *

Flit and Emily have not met face to face in years, the promises made long ago at Mars, are they vows or mere empty words spoken in haste? Time shifts forward with varying momentum, the war stays as a constant anchor. Next Chapter, Gundam AGE Savior's Destination: What Comes and Goes...Will the War of the Worlds destroy everything worth fighting for?


End file.
